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I am excited you’ve joined me for the Faithful Prayer challenge, based on Becoming a Prayer Warrior! Feel free to leave comments here or on my Facebook page with your thoughts on the week’s chapters. Look at the Prayer page for updates throughout the five weeks of the study. I hope you are blessed by it!
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As I shared in my intro post to this series, I have been really wanting to go deeper in my prayer life. However, it just hasn’t happened. I’m not sure if its because of lack of time or focus. Perhaps simply not prioritizing my hours to give prayer the prime real estate in my day.
One thing I am really loving about Susan Evans’ Becoming a Prayer Warrior ebook is the practical applications she provides at the end of each chapter. It gives me tasks to focus on and concepts to roll around in my heart as I go through my day.
It’s only week 1, and I have already learned so much.
- Really listening in prayer
- Praying for the difficult people in our lives
- Praying for a right perspective on our needs and asking for them confidently
- Praying with all our heart
- Asking for wisdom
Praying for Wisdom
In the chapter on asking for wisdom, I didn’t expect to learn much, honestly. I ask for wisdom all the time! After all, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)
Still, I don’t pray for wisdom the way I could. When my 3 year old is being disobedient and laughs at discipline, I get frustrated and try harder. I might pray for wisdom on the situation, but it’s rarely in the moment, and it’s rarely specific.
This week I tried something different. When a situation like that came up I did my best to remove myself from it, get on my knees, and pray for wisdom. I’d ask the Lord what I should do and then I listened.
It’s not a big change. It’s not compacted or frilly. However, this little difference in how I pray and how I listen has already made an impact on my parenting. With seemingly small changes in practice and perspective such as this, God has given me fresh insight into my children, what they really need, and His heart for them.
Really Listening in Prayer
The heart posture of listening that is in each chapter has become a greater part of my daily life. The constant prayers running in the background of my mind, the desperate in-the-moment prayers, and the dedicated times of fervent prayer. They are all done with a listening ear – actual pauses in the conversation so that I can patiently hear what God has to say instead of filling the silence with my own voice.
What’s the secret to learning how to really listen to God in prayer? Just doing it. Ask God for wisdom and then stop and listen. He will answer! God promises wisdom and desires to be a louder voice in our lives than our own. When we give way to His voice, we long to hear more of it.
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What did you glean from week 1? Please leave a comment here or on the Proverbial Homemaker Facebook page.
To start your own prayer journey, go to Becoming a Prayer Warrior on Facebook!
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by Stephanie, The Multi Taskin' Mom
This Post Has 9 Comments
Most people don’t stop to listen when they ask God for wisdom. May God grant us all the wisdom we need to know what we should do in each circumstance!
I haven’t been reading the book, but thanks for sharing some great insights on more effective prayers! Stopping and listening is so important, and in our rushed world it’s tempting to just do all the talking and not pause to hear what God is saying.
Is this something you can use with kids? I’m planning to do a Bible study on prayer with my son this year to get him out of the praying by rote habit.
I think it could, depending on the age.
that stopping to listen… it’s so important isn’t it?
I have a friend who advocates prayer and meditation. Prayer is the active part, talking to God. Meditation is when we listen. It’s a concept I’ve been using, and it’s been working really well for me!
I hadn’t heard of this series. It sounds fabulous. This post reminded me of a book on my wishlist: Tuning in to the God Who Speaks. I need to revisit that.
I haven’t been following this series and am just stopping in. But you’ve made me think. I don’t think I really listen to God as I pray most of time. Often my prayers are running through the back of mind as you said. But how often do I really pause to listen to God?
Thank you for being thought-provoking today. 🙂
It can be a challenge to stop the flow of my own grocery-list of needs and ideas on how I think God should answer them and just shut up and listen. I’ve found switching from petitioning being the focus to praise and worship being the focus makes a huge difference. There are times the vast bulk of my hour of prayer is spent just doing something like going through the alphabet talking to Him about one of His attributes for each letter and how amazing He is, so it isn’t all about me. And yes, He definitely will respond, though in His own time not mine – I’ve had Him interrupt me when I was doing my laundry list of concerns to redirect me to topics He wanted addressed that day instead as well. The goal, for me, is to be used by Him in any way He wants so that’s fine with me – seek ye first, after all, and all the rest will be added.