I suspect that I miss alot of the times when God is speaking. Sometimes I am not looking. Sometimes I am distracted. And if truth be told, sometimes I am avoiding God. It doesn’t happen too often that I am avoiding God, but every once in a while I get in a slump of sorts and find myself resisting time with God. When I am listening though here are ten ways I have noticed God responding to prayer.
 

1. Through the Word

I had a friend who was growing in prayer and one of the first conscious experiences of knowng God was trying to speak to him came when he had verses of Scripture ‘coincidentally’ come across his path in rapid succession. For example, he would pray about something and a verse would pop up in his life three times in the next 24 hours from totally divergent sources. The phenemonon recurred enough eventually he could no longer call it coincidence. I don’t necessarily experience a single scripture multiple times, but it is not unusual for me to pray about a concern only to find in my devotional reading the exact guidance, inspiration, comfort or conviction that I need.
 

2. Through people

God will use people to speak to you. Someone will share a story or call you just when you need it the most. Don’t be surprised if you pray for guidance and God sends you a person with the answer to your question.
 

3. Peace that passes all understanding

When I am facing a choice I often times sit in prayer with both options before me. Often times there is a very clear sense of peace about one choice over another. You can almost physically sense this peace. For me it is much like the sensation of release you have when you struggle to remember something and then it comes.  That sense of knowing is important to listen to.
 

4. Through signs

Scripture speaks many times of signs. I recall when I was considering my ministry call to Texarkana. I felt very confused. I had been through some similar searches with dissappointing and confusing results. I was beginning to doubt my ability to know where God was calling me. Twenty four hours before I went to my second interview and knew that the committee was going to be asking me to come to this church, I went off to my sit spot in the woods to pray. I prayed for a good hour. I finally said, “God, I need some clear undeniable sign to guide me in this. I am not certain what you want me to do.  I need it before we go to that interview tomorrow.”   That evening a member of the church, who was unaware of my situation, called to tell me that he had been on vacation and kept feeling like God wanted him to call me and tell me something.  Specifically he said, “You need to leave. You will never be able to fully use your gifts here. It’s time to go. I don’t want you to leave, but you need to leave.” That to me was a pretty undeniable sign. There was no ambiquity whatsoever.
 

5. Through dreams

Scripture contains many examples of God speaking to people through dreams. God will warn, comfort, and instruct through dreams. I have had a couple of experiences in which God spoke rather dramatically to me through dreams. Dreams from God have an uncharacteristic clarity to them. They are so vivid that they feel more like memories than dreams.
 

6. Visions

Visions like dreams are revelatory experiences attested to by Scripture.  They are also similar to dreams in that they tend to be extremely vivid.  If you have not expereinced a dream or visions by God you might be prone to think of these as extremely subjective.  The qualitative difference though between a revelatory experience of God and ordinary dreams or thoughts is undeniably distinct.
 

7. Circumstance

When you pray for guidance, it is wise to pay attention to what opportunities open up and which ones close.  Sometimes God leads us by opening and closing doors.
 

8. No, not now

God doesn’t seem to always respect my day timer.  I recall asking God for guidance on a retreat once about my vocation. Through a series of signs God slowly answered my prayer, but took three years to do it. Each sign was quite obviously from God, but each one only pointed me forward to the next step. All of the pieces didn’t clearly make sense until three years later and then the chain of response was evident.
 

9. No, not in the way you expect

I often times make very specific prayers to God. I find specificity to be very helpful. However, I always try to stay open to God answering in ways I never expected. I call it coming before God with an open hand agenda. I try to make a very clear request, but I don’t hold on too tightly. I know that God is capable of exceeding my thoughts on what is best. I do my best to trust.
 

10. No

Some Christian authors are very hesitant to say that God says ‘no.’  I am confident that God knows best and at times  my request is contrary to God’s will and God says ‘no.’  That’s okay.  When God says ‘no’ or I can’t see God’s ‘yes’ that is when I turst and lean on God the most.
 

11.  A resounding undeniable ‘Yes’

I recall praying once about about needing a mentor and a mentee.  Within an hour my phone rang and a young man called and asked if he could come shadow me at work because he was considering going into ministry.  Shortly after that I had lunch with a man who volunteered to mentor me in a massive project that I had undertaken.  Neither of these people were people I sought out.  They spontaneously asked to be mentor and to be my  mentor. 
 
These are  not the only ways God responds.  I am sure that you can think of others, but I hope by reflecting on these you will be influenced to be actively looking more closely for God’s  presence in your life.

Peace from The Practical Disciple

Angie S. has been saying prayers all day for all of her friends associated with educating children! I pray you have a great/fun school year, students willing to grow/learn, supportive/cooperative/non-judging parents, that you are able to go to work each day feeling refreshed and ready, that you are able to be the voice for students who lack the support at home, and that you are able to remember that each child is a child of God and someone’s baby. I also pray that you are having so much fun that the school year flies by and that you feel inspired like you did your first year in the “business”! Good luck all my fellow educators – teachers from preschool up to college, principals, support staff – all of you make such an amazing difference in the lives of many students! Don’t forget that!

I know this prayer comes from a knowing empathetic heart because Angie taught High School Mathematics for a number of years. Would you join me in joining Angie in offering a prayer for teachers between now and the beginning of school. Thanks.

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“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your rememberance all that I have said to you.”

Meditation:

Two truths are given to us in today’s verse.

First, the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. God will directly give to us the things we must know. The Helper, the Holy Spirit will educate us. I am reminded of the Jeremiah 31:33-34 where God describes the future covenant that God will have with his people.

“I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their inquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

I am also reminded of the hymn, Take time to be holy. Specifically, ‘Take time to be holy speak oft with the Lord; Abide in him always, and feed on his Word.’ The Spirit will teach us. Are we seeking to learn though? Do we ask God questions and listen actively? Are we conversing with God about truths that we desire to understand?

The second truth given is that the Holy Spirit affects are mind. Specifically, the Spirit helps us recall the words of the Lord. However, we cannot recall what we do not know. If we have not read or have not listened, then there is nothing to recall. Continually absorbing the word of the Lord is vastly important to our spiritual health.
 

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, I pray that I am deligent in absorbing Christ’s word. I give you thanks that you prod my mind to recall important words just when they are most needed. I pray that daily you soften my heart, so that I have a teachable spirit, a mind eager to learn, and will open to change. I am so grateful for the gift that you are for I know that it is through you that my heart yearns to know and experience God more deeply. I know it is through you that I am stirred to pursue holiness, make right choices and love the Lord with all my heart, strength, soul and mind. Thank you Spirit. Teach for I am listening. Amen.
 
Close with the Lord’s Prayer
 
If you missed the explanation of what a dose of the ghost is all about then read the post, A Protestant Novena, A Dose of the Ghost.

I have also changed my recommended resource to my current study Bible, The New Inductive Study Bible.   This Bible is ideal if you are wanting to read the text and create your own headings and comments based upon your own observations.  It’s wide margins, blanks for chapter headings, guidance on what to watch for and mark in the text, and space for outlines at the end of each book, make it perfect for this purpose.  This Bible is a New American Standard (NASB) translation and is one of the most literal translations available. If you are new to Bible reading I would not  start with this Bible because there are no headings or explanatory notes offset from the text to aid the beginning reader.  There are  a few study helps in the back along with a brief concordance.

For new Bible readers I would recommend the Life Application Study Bible, NIV.  It contains a lot of great questions and notes that help you reflect on how to put God’s Word to work in your daily life.  I am finding The Life Application Bible harder to find as an NIV.  This may just be a regional issue.  Its seems more available as a New Living Translation which I do not care for as much.

Blessings to you in your reading of God’s Word.

A well rounded approach to scripture involves what I call both informational and formational reading.  Most Bible study tends toward the informational side of the equation.  Informational study is predominantly about getting to know the Bible stories and the principles presented therein.  Formational reading involves taking time to encounter the text in a way that shapes us as disciples.  One approach isn’t better than the other.  In fact, they feed one another.  Lectio is a practice that is very much a formational reading of scripture.

The Method

The four Lectio Divina steps are:

• Lectio: This first movement consists of slowly and attentively reading a scripture passage several times.  You  may want to jot down words or phrases that seem to stand out to you.
• Meditatio: In this second movement, as the name implies we meditate on the text.  This “meditation” is not like that of Eastern traditions in which we seek to bring the mind to rest or emptiness.  Rather instead, the intent of meditatio is to engage with the text with an active mind.  You  may ponder a phrase or word that arrested your attention in your first readings of the text and sit with it wondering how it speaks to your life right now.  You may imaginatively place yourself in the story.  All the while listening for the Holy Spirit to speak within you about the meaning of this text for your life write now.
• Oratio:  Oratio is a Latin word associated with speech.  It is a word from which we derive words  like oral and oratory.  In this third movement, we speak to God from the heart about what we have found in the text.  The Word may have convicted our hearts about something, if so we may find ourself seeking God’s forgiveness in mercy.  If the Word touches on a hurt ,we may cry out in pain.  If the Word reveals a calling then from our hearts we may pledge ourselves to God or ask for guidance.  Oratio is a time for us to voice a response to God from our understanding of the text.
• Contemplatio: When all is said and done, lectio comes to an end by simply joyfully resting in God’s presence.  We offer back to God our loving focus and attention with a heart of gratitude.

Don’t over think this method or be legalistic about it.  The essence of Lectio is slowing down in your reading enough to prayerfully consider what God may be saying to you right now.  Chat with God about what you are hearing and then just tarry a few quiet moments in God’s presence. Just prayerfully follow the four lectio divina steps, the Holy Spirit will do the rest.  In some ways I have found this form of reading more valuable to my  growth as a disciple than more academic studies of scripture.  Nevertheless, I will repeat what I said earlier, formational and informational reading enhance one another.  A mature and wholistic study of God’s Word will include both approaches.

Blessings to you in your reading from The Practical Disciple

p.s. If you are not sure what to read then try a using a daily Bible reading guide.  There are 5 great Bible reading plans on The Practical Disciple Resource page.  Click here to see them.