Actively Listening for God

In my previous career as a hospice nurse, I took classes, read books, and attended seminars on how to be a good listener.  During Kairos prison ministry training, a Fourth Day Christian program in Correctional Centers, we practice "active listening" skills.  We take turns being the talker, the listener and the one observing the exchange.  We have learned that there are ways to listen and there are ways to "listen."  Think about some of the conversations you have had lately.  If you are like most of us, you want to be on the talking end.  We have something to share and we want to say it.  We don't pay attention to what is being said because we are too busy thinking about our response.  Sometimes we can hardly wait until the other person takes a breath so we can jump in and take over.  At times, we don't even wait until the other person pauses and we jump right in on top of them.  We are all guilty of this at times.   

It is hard to listen, especially if we don't exactly like or agree with what we are hearing.  Then we pull down the shades a little and only listen here and there, fading in and out.  Sometimes we fold our arms and stop listening completely, counting the seconds or minutes until we can end the conversation.

Other times we have good intentions of listening but we get distracted.  Grocery lists or errands make their way into our thoughts.  Cares and concerns not related to this conversation take over and we find ourselves having no idea what the other person has been saying. 

Active listening involves being engaged with the person to whom we are listening.  Being present.  Being open.  Engaging with them means we care about what they are saying.  Being present means reducing those distractions as much as possible. Being open means that setting aside our judgment and criticism.

Active listening is beneficial both for us and the one we are listening to.  Active listening opens up new worlds for us as we hear different perspectives.  Active listening allows others to experience grace.  Jesus Christ practiced active listening although it didn't have a name then.  Jesus was engaged with everyone that he entered into a conversation with.  He cared about them.  Jesus was fully present.  He didn't allow the distractions of the world to interfere.  Jesus was open to all who approached him, offering love and mercy to those who wanted to change their lives. 

  When we actively listen for God, we will be changed.  Our lives will be transformed.  We will grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  When we practice actively listening to God, our faith will grow stronger and our relationship with Jesus Christ will grow closer. 

Set aside quiet time, away from distractions.  Expect that God will speak to you. Brush away the distracting thoughts with "Holy Spirit," "Jesus Christ, Son of God," or "Come, Lord Jesus."  Let God speak.  Just listen.   

Listening patiently for God

In the early days of the Church, men and women who wanted to hear God more clearly would live out in the desert or other wilderness places to get away from the noise, the distractions of living among other people. Church history records some of these efforts, as the Desert Fathers and Mothers, made caves or lean-tos their home. A few built pillars and lived on top of them. People who were seeking also to hear from God would follow the Desert Fathers and Mothers out into the wilderness and try to pattern their lives after them. So many people would gather around them that their solitude was disrupted and the Fathers and Mothers would move out even further to get away from the people.


While visiting Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, our group stayed at the Abiqui location: miles and miles of wilderness. We stayed in cabins on top of the mesa away from the rest of the camp. The sky was clear and the stars were numerous. It seemed to go on forever. The next day we wandered around the mesa. Sheer silence as I wandered further and further away from the group. The mountain sides were beautiful with rich colors of yellow, red, orange and brown. Snow blanketed the flat lands. I came upon a tiny one room building out in the quiet solitude, all alone.

Later, I asked our guide about the little building and she explained that the “hermitage” was modeled after the practice of the Desert Fathers and Mothers who built tiny dwellings away from everyone and everything in order to listen more quietly for God. The guide further explained that people would rent this building for a period of time in order to have complete solitude before God.

The thought of being completely alone, away from everything and everybody attracted as well as scared me. It was attractive as an opportunity to set aside all of the distractions in my life in order to “Be still and know …. God.” At the same time it scared me. What would it be like to give up conveniences and companionship; to be out of the loop; unaware of the happenings in the world. Would I be too lonely?

We don’t need to move out into the desert to sit quietly before God. We do need to intentionally make the time to be quiet, free from distractions, and open our hearts and mind to our Lord. Clearing space on our schedule, making a regular appointment to sit patiently before God, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” Patiently sit. Patiently listen. Let go of the distractions and just be still.

Psalm 62:5 My soul, waits silently for God alone, for my expectation is from him.

Listening to God expectantly

In Charles Stanley's book, How to Listen to God,  he tells us that we must expect God to talk to us.  It's like encountering a stranger in the elevator or passing a co-worker in the hallway with a greeting, "Hi, how are you?" and never waiting for the response.  We don't expect to hear anything else but "ok or good or fine."  Often when we pray to God, seeking an answer, we don't expect to hear anything.  We believe that praying is the right thing to do but don't expect anything to happen.  We may believe that God answers certain prayers but not others or God answers some peoples prayers but not our own.  We won't hear because we don't expect to hear.  We are not paying close attention. 

Read Jeremiah 33:2-3  Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it--the Lord is his name:  Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. 

Did any phrase or word catch your attention?  Pray:  "Holy Spirit, open my heart to your presence and inspire my thoughts as I listen for God in these words."  Read the passage again.  What caught your attention?  Spend a little time with the phrase or word, seeking understanding. Read the passasge one more time.  I encourage you to jot down your experience in a journal.  Give thanks to God for the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

Read this passage again throughout the week.  Live with it.