Prayer is a Conversation

Have you ever wondered if God speaks to you? We want to hear from God, but it all seems so mysterious. And many of us believe we’re not one of those people who “hears from God.”

You may have heard Christians say that they’ve “heard God’s voice,” but what does that look like in real life? Is it audible? Is it obvious? Is it something I think or feel? If I’ve heard from God and then talk about it, will people think I’m crazy?

The truth is, God does speak to us. This is central to our faith. You might have heard prayer explained as “talking to God,” but prayer is meant to be a conversation with God.

Prayer isn’t just talking to God. It’s hearing from him too.

In fact, prayer happens any time we interact with God: through reading Scripture, through conversations with people, or even through seeing a beautiful painting or sunset and saying, “thank you.”

In reality, you might be hearing from God a lot more than you think.

We read about people in the Bible talking with God and assume they had some special line of communication with him. But it’s not as though God only speaks to a select few with special abilities to hear him. God made each one of us and knows exactly how to speak to us so we can understand.

In John 10:27, Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd. He knows his sheep and they know him. They know his voice above all the others. The enemy wants you to doubt if you’re really hearing from God, but Jesus is always with you (Matthew 28:20).

Jesus is with us—always. That means wherever you are, Jesus is too. And when he talks, you can hear his voice above the noise.

We can be confident that God is here, and that he individually cares for us and speaks to us every day. We just need to stop and quiet ourselves long enough to listen. The more we do that, the easier it gets to hear him.

A vibrant prayer life isn’t just about asking God for things or getting help with making decisions. Prayer is about talking back and forth with God and getting to know him. A great prayer life happens as you live life with God.

Yes, admitting you have conversations with God might look strange to the world. But here’s a question for you:

Would you be willing to look a little crazy if it meant you were caught up in an incredible life with God?

Experimenting with prayer might seem awkward at first. It’s humbling. But getting humble is actually a great place to start. It means we’re ready to let God be God, and to hear what he has to say.

How can you start experimenting more with prayer? This will be easier for some of us than others—again, let’s just be honest. Prayer can be hard.

But we’re challenging you to embrace this practice, and to continue to talk with God as a habit. We often have no idea what we’re missing out on, if we’d only be willing to get a little uncomfortable.

Cultivate a posture of listening.

To begin, find a quiet place to sit. Try to empty your mind of distractions and focus on listening. Ask, “What do you want me to know, God?” or “How do you want me to respond to what I’ve read?” Even though it may feel uncomfortable at first, allow some time to just sit quietly with this question. If you are struggling with mental distractions or just trying to listen, speak to your heart and remind yourself what you know to be true of God—his truth, his promises, his faithfulness.

We are asking you to try this practice every day this week. See the Daily Scripture section for the details.

Action Step

After trying this practice for a week, at your next meeting be prepared to share with your group how God has spoken to you in your times of prayer. How did listening go?

Daily Scripture

This week we would like you to begin your daily time by journaling a short response to the question: Where are you at today? This might include things that you may be worried or stressed about, how you are feeling in your relationships, or what you are looking forward to.

Then read the Bible passage for the day.

To finish, go back to your journal and respond to one of these questions: What do you want me to know, God? How do you want me to respond to what I’ve read?

John 10 | Psalm 50 | Exodus 33:7-34:14 | Exodus 19:1-20:17 | Hebrews 12:14-29

What to do when you meet
with your group:

Begin with a short prayer.

Ask God to open your eyes to his perspective on things. Take turns each week opening in prayer.

Questions.

Begin by discussing how you are loving others.

What opportunities has God given you to love other people through serving, speaking truth in love, or pointing them towards Christ since we last met? How did you respond?

Talk about what God has been stirring in you through your time in the Word.

Share about one of your quiet times in God’s Word. What has God been teaching you and how did you respond?

Questions about section 2.

How did listening go this week? Share about your experiences this week.

Is there anything you want to share about what you heard from God?

Why is listening a habit we should pursue? What do you envision gaining from making this a regular rhythm in your life?

End your time by praying for each other.

Pray over each other’s discipling efforts and for people in your lives who don’t yet know Jesus. Pray for a heart that is willing to listen and respond to the prompts of the Spirit.