Lansdowne Life 12 March 2018

A
S E A S O N
of
P R A Y E R
L i s t e n i n g t o G o d
“Speak, Lord for your servant is listening”
Read 1 Samuel 3:1-21
Listening to God requires discipline.
Samuel struggled several times until he
finally disengaged from human voices.
When he did hear God, the consequences
were life changing.
When we intentionally seek God in this
way, we deliberately ask Him to tell us
what matters most.
But how?
Here are some broad suggestions. They
are not rigid rules but steps I have
personally observed, in a process of
corporately discerning the mind of the
Lord at a critical time of organisational
change.
We must prepare ourselves
We cannot casually saunter into God's
presence or rush hurriedly. We must
disengage from current activities to bow
to the Sovereign Lord. Worshipping Him
will help block out distractions, and tune
our hearts, minds, and wills to His. A
variety of hymns and scriptures will
highlight different aspects of His
character and promises.
We must confess our dependence on Him
We are dependent servants, albeit
unprofitable ones. We are His children,
sometimes wilful in our self
determination. We should confess, and
ask our Heavenly Father to search and
refine us that we might clearly hear Him.
We are privileged to pray but there can be
no presumption. We come to a throne of
grace as penitent not proud seekers.
He says "I live in a high and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite and
lowly in spirit" Isaiah 57:15.
We must pause, and with thankfulness,
reflect
“Be still and know that I am God"
It takes time to listen well.
Prayerfully, ask yourself questions:
• “is there a need for change, but unsure
over what or how?”
• “what might be displeasing to Him and
needs to be put right?”
• “What motivates us, duty or love?”