Listening Prayer
Prayer is a conversation between the Lord and His children.
It is becoming more and more apparent that prayer is indispensable to our walk, as followers of Jesus.
Prayer is the most underestimated and underused weapon in our armory. We must take the action of praying for others more seriously, because when prayer is done in faith, it can really make an impact.
James 5:16
"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Prayer is reaching out in the spirit with a measure of faith to bring kingdom values, culture, and expectations into time. In prayer, we partner with and submit to the thoughts and ways of the Lord, which are higher than our own.
Isaiah 55:8-9 AMP
[8] “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. [9] “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Prayer is the time we spend with the Lord to find out His will and His heart and pursue it for His glory.
Romans 12:2 AMP
[2] And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].
Prayer is perceiving and responding to daily life with spiritual insights and tools. Prayer is more than a spiritual weapon; it's a lifestyle.
Prayer is our choosing to be in constant communion with God throughout the day.
Adam and Eve would walk through the garden of Eden with God every day. They would walk and talk with the Lord. Sharing their hearts with one another, listening to one another. They shared that close intimacy with God and each other.
Genesis 3:8
“... And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day…”
Let's face it, the art of conversation has been lost in our own culture. Society speaks but doesn't know how to listen.
So it has become with prayer.
Prayer is an intimate ongoing conversation with the Lord.
In the letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes, “Pray without ceasing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 AMP
[16] Rejoice always and delight in your faith; [17] be unceasing and persistent in prayer; [18] in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
“Without ceasing” means without stopping. We have a Loving Father in heaven who wants to be invited into our day, moment to moment.
In His Word, He says to cast our cares on Him, for He cares for us.
How many cares do you have daily? I can assure you, personally, I have many! The Lord wants them all.
1 Peter 5:6-7 AMP
[6] Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, [7] casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].
Peter wrote that, and he was a fisherman. Cast as in casting a net. A quick action, quick response, throwing something off or out.
We cast our cares, and like a net, instead of catching fish, we catch the blessings, the grace, the provision, the favor of the Lord.
For He loves us and He loves to hear us speak from our hearts. But more importantly, He loves to share His own.
Written by Hannah MacPherson 4/29/25
A Listening Heart
4/18/25
I Kings 3:9 NKJV
[9] Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
1 Kings 3:9 AMP
[9] So give Your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart [with which] to judge Your people, so that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge and rule this great people of Yours?” [James 1:5] God’s Answer
What was Solomon's request to God? Why did it please the Lord?
The Hebrew words used in this verse, for an " understanding heart" are: lebh Shama. This phrase actually means " listening heart".
Solomon recognized that he was not capable of knowing the hearts of God's precious people. He asked God to open the ears of his heart to truly know and understand the truth so that he could judge God's people wisely.
We too need to ask God for a listening heart. We may not have a Kingdom to rule but how we respond to people's hearts is very important in God's Kingdom.
We often think we know and understand the heart of a person by how they respond in their words and actions toward us but this is not always the case. This doesn't always give us the complete picture of what is going on in their hearts.
Scriptures warns us not to look at a person from how they appear. Some people look like they have it all together but inside they are falling a part. Others appear to be falling a part but they are actually farther a long in the process of transformation than they many who seem to have it all together.
1 Samuel 16:7 AMP
[7] But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
What did David look like to everyone else that God saw differently? Even Samuel, a powerful prophet of God, was fooled by David's age and appearance. His family didn't even think he was worthy to come to the big dinner with every other brother, to eat with the great prophet Samuel. How many families in Israel were given this opportunity and yet David was excluded from this.
How many of us exclude others because they don't follow the pattern of a strong, well put together Christian, who we can consider our peers? We are fine with helping the less fortunate but are we also willing to learn from them?
Only God, Himself, knows what is in the hearts of His children. If a person is baptized or filled with God's Spirit, then He is working to transform their hearts and uncovering all the beautiful gems placed their before they believed the lies of the enemy.
We see people speaking out of their wounds and past experiences but God sees the beauty He put in their hearts, that they are not able to access on their own. Even in our own hearts, we struggle to access all the treasure Abba has hidden there.
What does this have to do with a listening heart? We can only hear the heart of another with spiritual ears. There is a difference between spiritual ears and religious ears. Spiritual ears hear the truth in a person's heart and religious ears only hear judgement and performance.
It is true that Jesus said " out of the mouth speaks the heart.
Luke 6:45 AMP
[45] The [intrinsically] good man produces what is good and honorable and moral out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart; and the [intrinsically] evil man produces what is wicked and depraved out of the evil [in his heart]; for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart.
It is true that what is in our heart will eventually come out of our mouth. Jesus says the word, "perisseumatos". This Greek word means abundance or overflow. There is much in the heart of man that does not reach to that level of overflow and so can cause a person to be misunderstood.
We do not know or see all that is in each other's hearts or even in our own heart. This is why we need spiritual ears to see past the surface, to the truth.
Truth doesn't just mean the Word. Truth is anything that actually is, the full reality of something, rather than how one perceived things through their own perspective. It was, it is and it will be what is reality.
When we seek a person's heart, we are seeking to know who they really are. We are listening deeper than the surface of who they are presenting. We should always ask for guidance in our relationships with our spouse, children, loved ones and friends. We should be willing to take the time to be still and allow God to help us to see past the surface, to the treasures buried inside each one of us.
It is important to note that this is not the same as analyzing someone. We are not looking for patterns so we can pull out our reference book and fix the problem. A listening hearts motivation is love. It wants to meet that need where that need really needs to be met.
We all know the difference between having the needs of our heart met and someone pulling out a scripture they think will fix our problem for us. We as believers know the awesome power of God's Word but when we use it are we guided by the Holy Spirit in the way we use it?
A listening heart not only listens to the hearts of others but also to the heart of God
James 1:19 AMP
[19] Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving];
Proverbs 18:2 AMP
[2] A [closed-minded] fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his personal opinions [unwittingly displaying his self-indulgence and his stupidity].
Proverbs 18:4 AMP
[4] The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters [copious and difficult to fathom]; The fountain of [mature, godly] wisdom is like a bubbling stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].
1 Corinthians 2:11 AMP
[11] For what person knows the thoughts and motives of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So also no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
Proverbs 21:2 AMP
[2] Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs and examines the hearts [of people and their motives]. [Prov 24:12; Luke 16:15]
TRUSTING GOD IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES
4/11/25
Trusting God When Nothing Makes Sense:
Our God is always with us. He sees all, knows all and is with us in it all. However, it doesn't always feel like He is. Sometimes God can feel very far away, even when we are being obedient to His word and staying on the path He has called us on.
When it gets dark in our soul and we cannot see the next step in front of us, we can trust that He is still with us. If we cannot find Him anywhere else in that moment of darkness, we can still go to His Word.
He's always in His Word. If we start speaking His Word out of our mouths and worshiping Him with a grateful heart, that darkness will lift; our path will get brighter and our strength will return.
Some of us are going through very difficult circumstances but we still need to hold on to our confidence in our heavenly Father. His Word is our only hope. What He says He will do, He will do.
If you choose to believe God's Word, then believe all of it! He said He is our ever present help in times of trouble. He says He will never leave us nor forsake us. He says if we give Him all our anxieties and pray to Him with a grateful heart, He will give us peace that passes all understanding.
He promises to meet every need, take every care and pick us up when we stumble. He says He will finish the work He started in us! He says He gave us all power, through Christ, to overcome all the powers of darkness. He tells us not to be afraid or waiver in our faith.
Do we truly believe all of that? It's all in His Word. He heals every disease, comforts those who mourn, loves us unconditionally and became sin so we could walk in righteousness.
He promises to protect us, preserve us, grow us and heal us. He says there is nothing too difficult for Him and He desires to bring us into His divine nature.
Why don't we always see these things in our lives? Do we take every thought captive? Do we only speak truth in His Word over ourselves, our families and are difficult situations?
When He shows us to do something do we obey? Are we operating in the power of the Holy Spirit? Do we walk and act in faith and not waver with doubt or unbelief?
God's word is true. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He can never lie. Our hearts lie to us and hide things in dark places inside of us. Our mind wants to look at things through its own perspective, which is often contrary to His Word. We constantly vacillate between the wisdom of the world and God's wisdom.
We cannot blame God for our difficulties or our pain. Even when other people hurt us, it is because God gave everyone a free will, not just good people.
God always has a plan to help us through pain, sorrow and difficulty but will we trust Him long enough to see Him move in our lives? Will we surrender our whole being to Him and believe what His Word says over our own wise mind?
His word never fails; His love is forever. It grieves Him that His children do not trust Him and His Word. Let's show our heavenly Father that we do trust Him and we will obey His word and believe what He says over our own wise mind.
GRATEFULNESS: An Attitude of the Heart
Why is it important to have a grateful heart?
3/30/25
Having a grateful heart is important. Without a perspective of gratefulness, our heart is not in the right position to receive the blessings in Christ that our heavenly Father has in store for us. Paul says something in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 that is pretty profound,
[16] Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In our own selves this is impossible to do. How can we always rejoice, pray without ceasing, and be thankful at all times, in every situation? Some of us have gone through horrible circumstances, while Some of us are going through those right now..
How can we obey scripture when it gives us such difficult absolutes? The answer is found in verse 18. Paul does not say
"FOR" all things, he says "IN" all things. The reason we can always rejoice, pray without ceasing and be thankful in everything is because we are children of a God who knows all, sees all and is with us in it all.
How can we not rejoice when we know our God is for us and not against us? He promises us a hope and a future. He tells us all things work out for good if we love Him. He says he is our ever present help in times of trouble.
God knows how to help His children. We don't have to be grateful to Him for the difficulties in our lives, but during those moments we should acknowledge His presence. Why would we be grateful to Him for them unless we thought He was the one who caused them?
Paul says in Romans 8:2,
[28] And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Also in Genesis 50:20 scripture says this,
[20] But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
Joseph is telling his brothers that the evil that caused them to sell him as a slave was turned around by God to save their nation and the world. The Bible is clear that God doesn't cause evil to happen to His children. Even the wicked fall into trouble because of their bad choices leading to sin. God is a benevolent father who gives precious gifts. The Bible says He does not give His children a stone when they ask for bread.
James says in 1:17,
[17] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
God is love and only motivated by love. He's not waiting with a whip to beat you when you take a wrong turn and veer off the path. He loves you and delights in you and and He sees His completed work in you; That is why He sent His Holy Spirit to aid the completion of his plans for you.
When bad things happen, we don't run from God, we run to Him. Instead of blaming Him, we confidently ask for help and build up our faith in the Word in order to receive it. He is a gracious father. We can trust that scripture is true and that His motivation is always love.
If you are dealing with a dark circumstance and don't see a light in your future, choose to change your perspective. Recognize that scripture is always true even when your thoughts, feelings and opinions tell you otherwise.
The Bible says He is the God of the impossible
.
Luke 18:27
[27] But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
If you are not seeing answers to your prayers, then go before Him humbly and wait for Him to answer. Don't be in a hurry to blame Him for your circumstances because He's not answering your prayers
.
Scripture tells us that God listens and acts on our prayers, but He does it in the best way for His glory to be revealed. His power is made evident in your weakness. If you don't like what you see, change where you are looking. It will always be you that changes, God never changes.
We must always be grateful in every situation so that God can move in that situation in a powerful way. It is an act of trust to be grateful when everything looks horrible around you. He is trustworthy and we can count on Him to turn it around if we truly trust and believe Him. He is faithful and He is one with His word.
Trusting God With Our Emotions
He Promises to Restore Our Soul
I Peter 5:6-7 NKJV
[6] Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, [7] casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Many of us do not appreciate our emotions getting in the way of our daily lives. We resent their influence on our choices, attitudes, and relationships throughout our day.
The important thing to understand about emotions is that they are generated by our thoughts. They act in a similar way to how pain lets our body know there is something wrong with it. They tell us when something isn't right in our soul.
Not all emotions are uncomfortable or bad but we are going to focus on the difficult ones. Some of our difficult emotions are fear, anxiety, anger and sadness. We don't always know how to handle these particular emotions.
Always in scripture, we can find the answer to everything we have to deal with.
King David is a wonderful teacher when it comes to how we deal with emotions. Some say he was the psychologist of the Bible. He understood how important it was to bring all his heart to God;. the good, the bad and the confusing.
Psalms 13:1-6 NKJV
[1] How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? [2] How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? [3] Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; [4] Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. [5] But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. [6] I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
We see so many examples of how David felt despair, anxiety, fear and sorrow. He didn't keep those emotions bottle up inside he gave them to the God he knew loved him. He was always honest with God and didn't run from him.
Some of the language David used in his description of how he felt seems almost exaggerated to us but God didn't see it that way. He met David where he was at and brought him into a peaceful, joyful place, when David laid it all at his feet.
When we look closely at the Psalms we see how David starts out very emotional. He speaks of despair, fear and even anger but when we keep reading ,we see how God turned it around. David starts rejoicing and feeling more peace and God lifts up his head and strengthens him. It's beautiful to see how God does this for David, again and again.
Psalms 55:1-23 NKJV
[1] Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication. [2] Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, [3] Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, And in wrath they hate me. [4] My heart is severely pained within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. [5] Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. [6] So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. [7] Indeed, I would wander far off, And remain in the wilderness. Selah [8] . . . . [16] As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me. [17] Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. [18] He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me.
We too can be refreshed by our heavenly Father as we bring him all our pain. It doesn't matter what it is, our God knows how to fix it. All he asks of us is to be honest with Him.
There are always underlying thoughts generating our emotions. If we are honest with God about our emotions and willing to see into our heart what he wants us to see, He will help us know what to do to overcome in our emotions.
They were not meant to be our Lord, He was. If we allow our emotions to rule us and control our actions, they will put us in bondage. We must see them for what they are; A temperature gauge for what's really going on inside of us.
When God shows us the thought that is causing the emotion, we must be willing to give it to Him and see things through the perspective of the word. If we are willing to do this, He will give us wisdom and strength to respond to the Word and not be controlled by our emotions.
We must believe scripture over our thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This is a choice we make and Jesus died on the cross to give us this choice. It isn't just about us; it's also about His heart for us and also for others. We always have a choice to respond to God's word over the feelings that are rising up inside of us. If we are honest with God and come to Him humbly for help, He will show us what we need to do to have peace.
Dear heavenly Father, we come to You humbly and lay all our cares at Your feet. We know You love us and give us the opportunity, through the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for us, to be free from all influence from our emotions. They may help us be aware of lies hidden in our minds but they will not rule us. thank You for giving us authority over our old nature and opportunity to walk in the new nature, We love You Abba, In Jesus name, Amen.
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