Ask, Listen, Follow: A Simple but Powerful Prayer Practice

By Pam Cowart

I am a sheep. I assume you are also.

I have a Shepherd, a good one at that.

He is yours also.

He knows us, and we know Him.

I need (I mean need) to hear His voice. How about you?

Jesus said in red letters, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. … My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:14, 27 ESV).

We CAN hear His voice.

Listening and Asking

Jesus modeled more than just the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus incarnate prayed to the Father consistently and with a rhythm of asking, listening, following. We know He went out alone to pray and then returned to His mission with clarity to choose disciples, directions to move on to the next place, content to teach and preach, empowerment to heal, wisdom to encounter opposition. Jesus said only what the Father instructed Him to say and did only what the Father commanded.

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“The voice of the Lord can cut through the noise of our inner confusion, worry, stress, mixed motives, and bring the clarity of His truth.”

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Where did He “hear” what to do and say? In listening prayer. Jesus goes on to say in John 14:25–26, “All this I have spoken to you while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” We get to be a part of the Trinity partnership. We get to ask, listen, and follow!

Over the years, I have grown to understand and love “listening prayer” — the simple but profound practice of asking the Lord questions and tuning in for answers. I have learned to know His voice. As Jesus listened to the Father, we can listen, hear, and follow in obedience.

This form of prayer is profound for personal transformation. We listen to the voice of the Lord to receive His truth for our own healing and wholeness. He desires for us to hear truth countering any lies plaguing us. Listening prayer can bring illumination to His written word. It can also create space for our spirit to commune with the Holy Spirit alive within us. Listening prayer is asking. The Lord desires us to ask for direction as hard decisions rise. The voice of the Lord can cut through the noise of our inner confusion, worry, stress, mixed motives, and bring the clarity of His truth. His voice is healing to our wounds and dis-ease. His voice counters that of the accuser who needs to be silenced.

We can also practice listening prayer on behalf of others, as a form of intercession. We can come to the Lord asking for clarity on behalf of those we love and those we struggle to love. We can ask to hear His heart for our church and The Church. We listen expecting to receive wisdom, knowledge, prophecy, guidance, encouragement for the building up of the body of Christ! “Ears to hear” are receptors to receive these gifts of the Holy Spirit!

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“We are invited to get our hands dirty with the muddy molding of priceless vessels.”

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God knows stuff we don’t know. (Well, duh!) Yeah, duh, but I too often jump into my day, my work, and interactions with only my limited thoughts, my limited plans, my limited knowledge, my limited love, my limited joy, peace, patience, etc. Why do I dip into the broken cistern of limitations when I can drink from the spring of Living Water? You and I have access to the Omniscient One. You and I can have a heavenly vantage point available to us. Our Shepherd is already at work (preveniently) in our lives and the lives of those to whom we are called to minister. Our God sees over the next hill and around the next corner in our journey. Listening prayer is downloading wisdom. It’s tapping in to know God-level stuff that we can’t know otherwise. It’s an invitation into the workshop of our God, the Master Designer who continues to create life from dirt.

Do you want to join in? You are invited. The Father lets us put our imprint in the clay. We are invited to get our hands dirty with the muddy molding of priceless vessels.

A few frequently asked questions will help us learn some tools of listening prayer:

“Am I listening for an actual voice?”

Good question. We are uniquely designed receptors for the voice of God. Like a radio dial (does anyone under 45 know radio dials anymore?), we tune in uniquely. Your tuning may be to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit with words. Many people have Scripture come to mind, which then leads them to God’s truth in that way. Some find God gives visions or images. For the most part, there is an impression or “knowing” that this is your God. I find there is often a sense of humor or tone that clarifies “Yep, that would be the way my God speaks” just as I know the tone, cadence, and values of a loved one.

“Would something I hear or see in listening prayer contradict Scripture?”

Simple answer, no. There is a lot of subjectivity in listening prayer resulting in words of knowledge, wisdom, prophecy, or guidance, but the written Word of God always has primacy. God’s Word tells us there is a deceiver, the father of lies, our enemy who also wants to speak and influence us. Our hearing can also be influenced by our own unhealed motives. God’s written Word is the strong filter to know the difference. (By the way, this is a strong motivator for studying God’s Word!) Preparatory prayer to keep the enemy’s voice and influence out of your time of listening prayer is the best practice.

“Should I share impressions from the Lord with others?”

This is holy ground and should not be tread upon lightly or without confirmation from the Lord. Wrapping your own unconfirmed words in “thus sayeth the Lord” is ill-advised at best and, at worst, spiritual abuse. If I sense something from the Lord is for someone else, I receive it as an opportunity to pray with clarity. I also continue to ask and listen for direction of what to do with something heard for someone else. Gifts from the Holy Spirit are meant for encouragement and building up (1 Corinthians 14) so I’m free to share anything encouraging. How profound for the Lord to use us to encourage others in this way! Revelation from the Lord for others is a beautiful practice, which needs to be guided by the Lord for interpretation and application (including proper timing).

Right here. Right now, we are going to stop reading and start listening.

Preparation

1. A relatively distraction-free space with two minutes to listen. If you don’t have two minutes right now, then bookmark this article and come back to it when you do. This is not content for your head but activity for your heart and hands.
2. Paper and pen (or cell phone and thumbs, or computer and fingers).
3. Pray a preparation prayer such as “Speak Lord, your servant is listening. Bar the enemy and any flesh motives away from this time. I want to hear you and you alone.”
4. Prepare a question. There are many variations of great questions for listening prayer. The practice below is just one.
5. Set a timer for two minutes. You will be surprised how efficient the Lord is with time.
6. Expect to hear!

Ask

• “Jesus, who would you like me to pray for right now?”
• “How would you like me to pray?”

Listen

• Listen for the name.
• Listen for how to pray
• Record what you hear, see or any impressions you have.

Follow

• There are many ways to respond to listening pray. I’m asking you to try this one…
• Send a text to the person with two sentences: “The Lord brought you to mind today. How might I pray for you?”
• There is no need to say more. Let the door open if the Lord so opens it. Be prepared to walk through it if He does.

Testimonies From This Variation of Listening Prayer 

• Recently I practiced this listening prayer with a group. I started my two minutes. As soon as I asked the Lord for a name, I heard the name “Jaime.” This person was not on my radar. I’m not in active contact with him. The Lord was asking me to pray for our pest control technician. That did not come from me! When I asked, “How should I pray?” I began to write what I sensed/heard from the Lord about Jaime’s faith, his family, and his finances. When I texted the two sentences, he responded with this prayer request: “Finances and good health for my wife; thank you so much.” A next level of conversation has begun.
• Pastor Helen has been ministering for 10 years to a friend in an on-again, off-again journey with Jesus. In Pastor Helen’s two minutes, Monique immediately came to mind. Monique was going through a real crisis and was responding hesitantly to Pastor Helen’s kind and pastoral invitations back to following Jesus. Pastor Helen prayed and sent the text. She immediately received the response “I’m ready!” A few weeks later, Pastor Helen was able to baptize Monique who now blesses their local church with her gifts and talents.
• Another pastor told me, “When I entered listening prayer, I wasn’t immediately sure who God would send to my mind. It took a minute or two before I felt God was leading me to pray for my brother. I honestly felt a little disappointed, because at this point in his life, my brother has asked me not to talk to him about spiritual things or God at all. I knew I couldn’t text him that I was praying for him without damaging our relationship. However, God guided me to realize I could pray for him and still connect with him in a different way. I was able to send my brother a text to let him know he was on my mind while still honoring his request of me.”
• Another person heard the name of someone with whom they have felt conflict. When they texted this person to offer prayer, a communication door was opened that led to some resolution in misunderstanding.
• At a retreat, we practiced this two-minute listening prayer. Many of the people at the retreat knew each other and were from the same church. When the time for texting started, I heard the phone of the woman behind me … buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz. Many of the people in the room knew the hard time she was in at the loss of her husband. The texts were pouring her way, and her tears began to flow. What joy to see the body of Christ loving one another!

Resources for Further Exploration

• “Listening Prayer Series” with Brett Heintzman
• “Livestream” by Ivan Filby
• “How to Hear God” by Pete Greig

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