Prayer: Hearing from God

Jesus tells us that His sheep hear his voice, and they follow Him. That means that as long as Christ is your Shepherd, you should know His voice.

John 10:27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;

God speaks to us by His Spirit in different ways. Here are few of the many ways He uses:

1. The Written Word (Logos) and the Living Word (Rhema).  The Lord has spoken to us already in His Word. The Written Word is so important that the Bible says that God has exalted His word above all His name.

2. A small still voice. It often feels like our own thoughts. But the more sensitive you are to the Spirit of God, the more you are able to discern His voice.

3. Dreams. Dreams are another powerful mode that God uses to speak to us. When the life of baby Jesus was in danger, the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream to take the baby and His mother to Egypt. (Matthew 2:14)

If Joseph had ignored the dream because it was “just a dream”, then baby Jesus could have been killed before His time.

Job 33:14-15. For God speaks time and again, but a person may not notice it. In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber on their beds.

4. Visions of the night, and open visions. Night visions are pictures or short video clips that you may see when you are half-awake or half-asleep.

On the other hand, open visions are seen with wide open eyes, though they are seen by the spirit. A lot of prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah  and Ezekiel in the Bible, received messages in visions.

Genesis 15:1 After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great.

So, today we want to hear God’s voice, either for something specific or for daily guidance.

One thing we need to do is to always clear our minds of the clutter and noise from emails, social media, media and daily chit chats.

The Bible admonishes us to renew our minds, and this becomes very important when it comes to hearing the voice of God. We should also seek to hear His voice, because if we seek him with all our heart, we will find Him.

Romans 12:2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Let Us Pray

I give thanks to You, my God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of Your boundless mercy, You gave me new life by raising Jesus from the dead.  How glorious is Your name oh Lord! How awesome is our God!

You have spoken before, You are speaking today, and You will still speak tomorrow! Lord, it is a precious thing to hear your voice! It is a precious thing to follow You and to walk in your will.

Lord Jesus, You said that I know your voice and I follow You, because I am Your sheep. Lord, I do not want to live in ignorance. I pray that You give me discernment to recognize when You speak to me.

Give me discernment to distinguish your voice from the voice of my mind, my circumstances and that of the enemy.

Renew My Mind

Lord, I live in a noisy world. The media and news constantly bring me worries and bad news. My job keeps me busy all day. I’m always mentally tired. I do not seem to find enough time to rest and be with You.

I pray that You renew my mind as I study your Word. Remove all junk from my spiritual system. Cleanse my mind and give me rest as I wait on You.

Teach me to fellowship with You throughout the day, so that when I come to fellowship with you alone, I will not be tired.

Jeremiah 29:13. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Waiting On The Lord

Father, teach me to wait on You in the place of prayer. Teach me to wait until You speak.

Sometimes I allow impatience to drive me out of my waiting. Sometimes I go ahead and do what I think, without waiting for You. Lord, I want to hear Your voice. I want to know You and know Your ways.

Psalms 37:7. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;

Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Praying For Discernment

Oh Lord, open up my eyes to see visions and dreams. Open up my ears to hear from You.  Open up my spirit to discern spiritual things. Open up my understanding, and teach me how to listen to You.

By the power of Your Spirit, let my spirit be synchronized to You. Let me be aligned to Your Spirit and let me hear from Him.

Praying For Revelation

Lord, I refuse to be caught by surprise. Speak to me about events around my life and my family. Reveal to me things that You want to do. Show me whatever You want me to pray about. I receive grace to walk in discernment today.

Father, I pray for spiritual sensitivity. Let my Spirit be sensitive to Your leading. Let my Spirit be sensitive to spiritual things. Give me sensitivity, Lord, that I may take notice of Your move in my life. That I may be sensitive to seasons.

Give me grace to study your word as much as I need. As I meditate on Your promises, may I become more like You. May the mind of Christ be formed in me. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.

Acts 2:17-18. And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. I will even pour out My Spirit on My male and female slaves in those days, and they will prophesy.

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