My Pulpit Message - notes Listening Prayer
My Pulpit Message Notes are extracted from the sermon preached at the Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) Ngong Road on Sunday 15th May 2022. Preacher: Pastor Simon Kande. Scripture: Acts 16:6-10 | 20:22-23. Topic: Listening Prayer (Paul)
Hearing the voice of God in Prayer When last did you hear the voice of God as you were praying? Listening assumes that someone is speaking and there is a huge question, does God speak?When we read the Bible the answer is yes. But when you look at our lives what is the answer? From the experience of Paul and in the lives of many other saints God surely speaks. We need to separate these two words i.e. hearing and listening. Hearing God’s voice requires a listening heart. Mastering the art of listening is one of the greatest challenges with most Christians today. Listening is the ability to pay attention to and effectively interpret what other people are saying. It is not passive hearing, but intentionally comprehending the sounds that come forth from someone who is speaking to you. When we go to God in prayer, does He speak? Yes He does, at times, most of the times, or perhaps He does. We come from an African culture where olden days most conversation between fathers and sons were monologues. He is either speaking and you are listening, or you are speaking, rarely, and he is listening. It is not a conversation The more I look at the Bible I see conversational engagement between the people who walk with God and God Himself. I see a God who desires to talk. In the garden of Eden I see God going down looking for Adam and asking, where are you? What happened? That’s a conversation, it’s not just monologue.
in Acts 16:6 it wasn’t the right time for Paul to preach in Bithynia. “7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” God has the right time for everything and we need to hear his voice so as to know the right time. John 11:3, though the sister of Lazarus cried and called Jesus to come and heal their brother who was sick, Jesus waited for two more days because there was the right time go. David in Psalm 31 says, “My time is in your hands. Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah 29:10. The desolation of Jerusalem was to last seventy years and Daniel 9:2 understood that timing and started praying when the 70 years were over. There are many Christians who do whatever comes in their lives. No wonder, I think, we have too many frustrated Christians, because we are not keen to ask God, is it the right time to move? or to do a,b,c,d.
III. To know God’s style and processes. Somehow God seems to have a style
of doing things. There are things God describes broadly, but there are things he prescribes for you. 2 Samuel 5:22 “22 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 23 so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees.” God gave them the formula how to do it. -
The same with Joshua, he was told how to do it regarding the walls of Jericho. No wonder Moses went off, because he was told to strike the rock the first time so that water can come out (Exodus 17) but in Numbers 20:10 Moses, instead “ of speaking to the rock as he had been inhe struck it and sinned. When you hear God, you will be effective in your life and structed, There are a few things that you need to and to know how God wants you to ministry. You will save time and could actually be hearing hear do it.
I see David in the same level, conversing God on the career you are choosing, on your job’s journey. - Does God prescribe everything? Did he tell you to wear the cloth you are wearing and taking with God. But today, we see two And when you hear God it becomes easy. today? Did God tell you to eat the breakextremes when talking about listening and fast you ate? I don’t think so. hearing God. There are those who claim to “ God may not necessarily hear God on everything. They will tell you , prescribe everything, but there are things “this morning as I was praying I heard God that God does that for sure prescribe, but tell me about you”. And somehow you either there are things that He gives you the huenvy them, or fear them because you don’t know what God told them to tell you. I assume, may be some it could be an issue of man ability to know what is right and wrong. feelings. They feel like God is speaking or assume it. But others it is an outright dishonest way of taking advantage of the sheep. But also we have another extreme of people who are averse, or indifferent to God’s voice. They run away. If they hear someone say, I heard God say something, they are indifferent. There is a genuine voice of God. Though it is rare, it is there. God still speaks. I challenge us to seek for that voice of God. Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with the whole of your heart.” Isaiah 30:21 says, “Your ears will hear a voice saying, ‘This is way, walk ye in it.” Meaning we can hear God. 5 Points
a. Why listen to God? b. Benefits of listening to God c. How does God speak? d. Attitudes that enhance listening to God e. Hindrances to listening and obeying God
Benefits of listening to God
i. Effectiveness. People who listen and do what God wants are more effective. Lis-
tening to God will help you to climb the right wall because we many who try to climb every wall that comes to their life. They finish all the days of their lives trying / climbing all walls, yet there is the right wall. I wonder if David was not walking with God and listening to Him keenly, what would have happened in the valley when Goliath was messing up the children of Israel for 40 days? You find that someone who is keen on listening to God’s voice there is precision in what they do. How did David think of carrying five stones to kill a giant? I think he must have heard God. You don’t just carry five stones to kill a giant. Effectiveness, you are successful so that what you do is not just trial and error. I think Paul was successful in Macedonia which was the capital of Philipi where we had the Phillippian church. 2 Corinthians 8 the church in Macedonia our of poverty were the providers of Paul’s ministry and Paul uses the church in Macedonia to challenge the church in Corinth. Are you effective in your ministry? Are you effective in your walk with God? You need to listen more.
ii. It saves time. Life is short and we cannot afford to be on trial and error. It avoids
trial and error, or cyclic lives. The children of Israel who failed to listen to and obey God, instead of going to the promised land which could have taken eleven days according to Deuteronomy 1:2 from Horeb to Kadesh Panear via Mount Seir Road, they took 40 years. Wasted 40 years, just because they didn’t not listen.
Why listen to God?
I. To know God’s will. Whatever we ask according to His will, He hears us 1 John
4:14 meaning as we pray, you want to pray in line with God’s will. Whatever you ask in His accordance He will hears us. That is why Paul in Acts 16:6 He is in a listening mood and we can see God directing him and telling him, ‘Do not go to Bithynia, but go to Macedonia. You need to know God’s will over your life and pray in line with God’s will. You need to know God’s will over your children, over your career etc.
Saul wasted 40 days trying to kill Goliath in the valley while David did it in a few minutes. The cripple at the pool of Bethesda had taken 39 years trying to get into the pool, but when he met Christ, listened and within a short time he was healed.
iii. Leads to fruitfulness. You will be able to do more with less energy and re-
sources when God speaks to you and you are sure you heard God and obey, you will be successful Christian.
II. To know God’s timing. Somehow, God seems to work with time. No wonder
TT 152 | May 17th - May 23rd| 2022
