Listen to God for 2020

When you pray, do you stop to listen to God - with an expectation that He will speak to you?

I have been a part of a prayer group lately that takes time to hear from God. We will spend time reading the Bible, praying to God for His kingdom to come, worshiping in song - all things that are commonly done. But recently, we have been getting more deliberate about listening to God.

In these times, someone will set a timer for five minutes, say a simple prayer like, “Dear Lord, we are eager to hear from You. Please speak to us now.” And then we sit in silence for five minutes, following the thoughts that the Spirit puts in our minds. At the end of five minutes, we circle around the group to hear what the Lord said.

Sometimes God speaks in a vision or in words or a Bible verse or a lyric from a song or a memory. Sometimes we get a lot of communication, and other times it’s little to nothing. Sometimes we know exactly what God is saying to us, and other times we’re not sure. We’ll share our interpretations and then listen for another round of 3-5 minutes.

These disciplined times of hearing God are necessary for our lives. The more we make time for hearing God, the better we develop our ability to discern His voice. We will never be all that God wants us to be without hearing His current thoughts and plans for our days.

As you look ahead to 2020, take time to listen to God. What does He want you to do over the next 365 days? Also take time to process what you hear with further prayer, wise counsel, and the Bible. He will confirm His word to you.

Yours in Christ,

Chuck Hetzler, Ph.D.
Senior Associate, Christian Union Day and Night