Description
Since Adam and Eve, God has been speaking to human kind. Throughout the Bible, God’s people talked with God in conversation. Prayer is not about us doing all the talking, but engaging in relational dialog with God. In this webinar you will learn how to recognize the voice of God and what comprises "listening prayer" while we explore some of the many ways God speaks in scripture and still speaks today.
Presenter
Mary Sterenberg is a Commissioned Pastor of Prayer and Spirituality in the Christian Reformed Church. She serves as the Prayer Mobilizer for the Christian Reformed Home Missions Great Lakes Region, and served for ten years as the Prayer Coordinator for Classis Grand Rapids South. Mary assists with pastoral care at Discovery CRC. She serves on the board of directors of Presbyterian Reformed Ministries International (PRMI), and is a member of the faculty of the Dunamis Institute (PRMI). Mary’s passion is for the bride of Christ to be healed, holy, unified, restored, revived, and empowered!
Comments
"Prayer is not about us doing all the talking, but engaging in relational dialog with God."
Mary, can you support this statement from the Bible?
When Jesus taught us to pray, did he speak and tell us to speak, or did he instruct us to listen?
Can you provide a Biblical of example of prayer as listening?
Dear Eric,
Thanks for your question. My webinar on listening prayer was very intentional about pointing us to scripture, and I gave scripture to back up all of the many ways God speaks to us (I listed 10 ways). There are many Biblical examples of prayer, which is conversation with God. There are many examples in the O.T. of God's people hearing from God in the various ways I mention in the webinar. It started in Genesis with God speaking to Adam and Eve, (Genesis 3:8-13). God initiated dialog with His people in the Garden. Samuel as a young boy and also as an adult prophet, clearly heard the Lord's voice, for example.
In the N.T. the examples continue. John 10:27 clearly states that "my sheep hear my voice". Phillip received his orders by hearing the Spirit, (Acts 8:26,29). Paul was also directed where to go and not to go (Macedonia) by the voice of God in a vision, (Acts 16:6-10).
When Jesus taught us to pray as He did in Matthew 6:9-13 with the Lord's prayer, I would say the first 2 words give proof that God speaks. "Our Father". Did you ever know of a father who did not speak to his children?
When we think of prayer as the means God has chosen to build relationship with Him as his children, it may seem more understandable that God listens to us but also speaks to us. It is our being quiet and still in prayer that composes the "listening" part of prayer. "Listening Prayer" is not a term found in scripture, but something that helps us to be aware of and continue to grow in our ability to listen so we can hear from the God who speaks in so many ways.
Rev. Alvin VanderGriend, has taught us well in his little book, "Love to Pray", "Prayer is dialog between the believer and God - a dialog of love. It's a two-way communication that involves both talking and listening. That's the kind of prayer relationship God wants with us.....Prayer is all about hearing our Shepherd's voice. In fact, when we pray, it's probably more important to listen than to speak." (Love to Pray p 52).
God bless you on this journey,
Mary Sterenberg
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