Practical Guide to Prayer

Prayer is not wishful thinking, deep reflection, ritual, or an illusion. Prayer is mysterious, but it is also grounded in reality, simple, and enables us to hear God’s voice. Prayer is conversing with the God who is revealed in the person of Jesus.

The firm foundation of prayer

Prayer’s reliability is anchored in what God has done through the person of Jesus. Jesus is the eternal God of love occupying human history. Jesus is the uniting of eternity with time. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus attest to this miracle. Jesus promised the Spirit would continue to guide and engage us. When we pray, we are connecting to Jesus through the Spirit and can hear God’s voice.

Prayer is simple. It’s any language–written, spoken, thought, or sung– offered to God in faith. Then we listen for God’s voice. We won’t always hear it, but the more we converse with God, the more we will hear God’s voice, just like we more readily understand those we speak with more regularly. Their voice becomes familiar. God’s voice can become familiar to us

What does God’s voice sound like?

God’s voice sounds like Jesus’ voice because Jesus is who God is. Jesus shows us that God’s kingdom arrives humbly through sacrifice and servanthood. God’s voice will call us to servanthood. If you think God is calling you to privilege and power, it’s not God’s voice you are hearing. 

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus tells us to pray, “give us this day, our daily bread.” We are needy, and God is life-giving. This is how God’s voice sounds: words of love, forgiveness, hope, and grace.

God’s voice offers and calls us to restoration as we pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven…forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” If you are listening to God’s voice, you will hear words of forgiveness and be challenged to forgive others.

When people tell me they never hear God, I ask them if they spend much time praying. The typical response is no. This is like trying to catch a plane without going to the airport. I have seen a lot of planes in the sky, but I have never seen a plane land on my street. If I want to get on a plane, I must go to the airport. If we want to converse with God, we have to pray.

But how do I know if I heard God?

I’ve been on the wrong side of a lot of God-told-me statements. Whenever it’s used this way, it’s not loving or humble, so they didn’t hear from God. Don’t be that person.

But let’s imagine you are in a time of prayer, and you feel as though you heard God’s voice. How could you attempt to confirm it?

First, share it with others and see if they affirm it. One of the dominant themes of the new testament is that of unity within the church. If you are sharing it with others who are loving, humble, servant-minded people, and they affirm it, that’s encouraging. If they challenge you, be wise, humble, and listen.

Second, see if the circumstances unfold to create a path. In the Lord’s prayer, we ask for “God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven,” this requires circumstances. If I think God has asked me to be a pastor, but no one is willing to affirm me as their pastor, then I am not a pastor at all.

Third, does what you think you hear align with Jesus’ ministry? If what you hear aligns with bringing life where there is death, then you might be hearing God. Jesus challenged the political and religious rulers, affirmed the humanity of the unseen, and defeated death by entering death himself.

Finally, always hold the idea you have heard from God with humility. Our capacity to twist, justify, and affirm what we want should never be underestimated.

God’s voice calls us to participate.

Many years ago, I heard a talk about how Christians should be so that people. We are forgiven so that we forgive others. We experience grace so that we can reflect grace. We are loved so that we love others. Humans can’t be God, but we can join in God’s action. This is our prayer of “thy kingdom come, thy will be done” and “thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory.” God’s voice will call us to join in God’s ministry of resurrection and restoration. Our question becomes our willingness to take the next step.