Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father
in ever deeper union with his beloved Son. (CCC 2712)
In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matt 6:7-8)
And now, because you have committed all these misdeeds, says the LORD, because you did not listen,
though I spoke to you untiringly; because you did not answer, though I called you… (Jer 7:13)
in ever deeper union with his beloved Son. (CCC 2712)
In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matt 6:7-8)
And now, because you have committed all these misdeeds, says the LORD, because you did not listen,
though I spoke to you untiringly; because you did not answer, though I called you… (Jer 7:13)
Listening To God?
Most of the prayer sessions I have participated in have consisted of people talking to God. Whether the prayers were short or long, whether people prayed independently or prayed together through linked prayer, it was us telling God about our problems and asking for Him to help us take care of them, or to help us with a personal weakness. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it is interesting that in scripture, God says that:
You Can't Listen While You Are Talking!
Most courses in communications emphasize the importance of listening carefully to whoever is speaking and making sure we understand clearly before responding. It is even more important that we listen to God and understand what He is saying to us. However, it is almost impossible to listen when we are talking, so to truly listen to God, the first thing we need to do is stop talking. Even then, we usually have that little voice in our heads jabbering on about all the things we need to do, all the problems we are facing, and especially, complaining about the people who have been unfair to us. So even if we stop talking with our mouths, our brains are still talking.
It's All About Surrender
This presents a wonderful opportunity to surrender everything on our minds to God. After all, if we are thinking about something, or even worse complaining about something, then typically it is an issue we have not fully surrendered to God. In meditation, people typically try to empty their minds of all thoughts. In listening prayer, we actually welcome those thoughts as an opportunity to surrender them to God. The Surrender Trilogy is a good prayer to state our intention and desire for total surrender to God. This in turn prepares our spirit for a time of listening prayer in which we open our mind and soul to God. Some people start and end each day this way.
How To Do Listening Prayer
1. Find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably without distractions.
2. Slowly pray a favorite prayer of surrender to God, such as the Prayer of Abandonment or other Prayers of Surrender on this website.
3. Then just sit quietly.
4. Every time your mind starts to wander (which may be often!) use the word “surrender” to gently sweep that concern or problem to God. Think, “I surrender (whatever that issue is) to you, Lord.” I picture the word “surrender” like a broom, gently sweeping each concern onto an endless row of barges slowly floating off to God.
5. As you surrender each problem or concern to God, it will calm your spirit and allow you to focus on God as you trust God to take care of every worry or concern.
6. Sit quietly for about twenty minutes. Don’t expect any specific message from God—let God act through your stated intention to surrender to Him and be in His will by communicating directly with your spirit. In effect, you are opening a direct channel between your spirit and God’s Holy Spirit.
Losing Track of Time
It is perfectly fine if you seem to spend the entire session gently surrendering thoughts, problems and concerns to God. However, sometimes you will open your eyes and find you have been sitting there listening to God much longer than you imagined! Once, after what seemed like around ten minutes of surrendering thought after thought to God, I decided that this was a waste of time and I might as well do something else. I opened my eyes and discovered that forty minutes had passed. I have no idea what happened to the thirty minutes that were missing. It appears that I really did lose all sense of self and time, and was totally available to God, with my quiet, still spirit open to anything God might want to say.
Don’t worry if you doze off a little during Listening Prayer. It is wonderful to fall asleep while focused on surrendering to God. Don’t expect to actually hear God say anything to you, or to even be aware that anything has happened. Your first indication that God is working through your listening prayer will most likely be a friend commenting that you seem different.
Assignment
Give Listening Prayer a try. There are no specific rules other than being still before the Lord. If twenty minutes seems too short or too long, adjust the time. If you are not comfortable sitting, pray lying down. If you are not comfortable using the word “surrender” to sweep your thoughts to God, use a different word like “love” or “peace.” You can practice Listening Prayer twice a day, once a day, once a week, or only when you feel you need it. Just relax, surrender, listen to God and then enjoy as God works to conform you to His will so that the light of Jesus Christ can shine out from you as a beacon of hope to a dying world.
Scripture Memory Verse
Be still before the LORD; wait for him. (Ps 37:7a)
Most of the prayer sessions I have participated in have consisted of people talking to God. Whether the prayers were short or long, whether people prayed independently or prayed together through linked prayer, it was us telling God about our problems and asking for Him to help us take care of them, or to help us with a personal weakness. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it is interesting that in scripture, God says that:
- We should go to God to listen, so our words should be few. (Eccl 5:1-2)
- Our Father knows what we need before we ask Him. (Matt 6:7-8)
- The Lord has been speaking to us, but we did not listen to Him or answer Him. (Jer 7:13)
You Can't Listen While You Are Talking!
Most courses in communications emphasize the importance of listening carefully to whoever is speaking and making sure we understand clearly before responding. It is even more important that we listen to God and understand what He is saying to us. However, it is almost impossible to listen when we are talking, so to truly listen to God, the first thing we need to do is stop talking. Even then, we usually have that little voice in our heads jabbering on about all the things we need to do, all the problems we are facing, and especially, complaining about the people who have been unfair to us. So even if we stop talking with our mouths, our brains are still talking.
It's All About Surrender
This presents a wonderful opportunity to surrender everything on our minds to God. After all, if we are thinking about something, or even worse complaining about something, then typically it is an issue we have not fully surrendered to God. In meditation, people typically try to empty their minds of all thoughts. In listening prayer, we actually welcome those thoughts as an opportunity to surrender them to God. The Surrender Trilogy is a good prayer to state our intention and desire for total surrender to God. This in turn prepares our spirit for a time of listening prayer in which we open our mind and soul to God. Some people start and end each day this way.
How To Do Listening Prayer
1. Find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably without distractions.
2. Slowly pray a favorite prayer of surrender to God, such as the Prayer of Abandonment or other Prayers of Surrender on this website.
3. Then just sit quietly.
4. Every time your mind starts to wander (which may be often!) use the word “surrender” to gently sweep that concern or problem to God. Think, “I surrender (whatever that issue is) to you, Lord.” I picture the word “surrender” like a broom, gently sweeping each concern onto an endless row of barges slowly floating off to God.
5. As you surrender each problem or concern to God, it will calm your spirit and allow you to focus on God as you trust God to take care of every worry or concern.
6. Sit quietly for about twenty minutes. Don’t expect any specific message from God—let God act through your stated intention to surrender to Him and be in His will by communicating directly with your spirit. In effect, you are opening a direct channel between your spirit and God’s Holy Spirit.
Losing Track of Time
It is perfectly fine if you seem to spend the entire session gently surrendering thoughts, problems and concerns to God. However, sometimes you will open your eyes and find you have been sitting there listening to God much longer than you imagined! Once, after what seemed like around ten minutes of surrendering thought after thought to God, I decided that this was a waste of time and I might as well do something else. I opened my eyes and discovered that forty minutes had passed. I have no idea what happened to the thirty minutes that were missing. It appears that I really did lose all sense of self and time, and was totally available to God, with my quiet, still spirit open to anything God might want to say.
Don’t worry if you doze off a little during Listening Prayer. It is wonderful to fall asleep while focused on surrendering to God. Don’t expect to actually hear God say anything to you, or to even be aware that anything has happened. Your first indication that God is working through your listening prayer will most likely be a friend commenting that you seem different.
Assignment
Give Listening Prayer a try. There are no specific rules other than being still before the Lord. If twenty minutes seems too short or too long, adjust the time. If you are not comfortable sitting, pray lying down. If you are not comfortable using the word “surrender” to sweep your thoughts to God, use a different word like “love” or “peace.” You can practice Listening Prayer twice a day, once a day, once a week, or only when you feel you need it. Just relax, surrender, listen to God and then enjoy as God works to conform you to His will so that the light of Jesus Christ can shine out from you as a beacon of hope to a dying world.
Scripture Memory Verse
Be still before the LORD; wait for him. (Ps 37:7a)