Listening prayer–actively seeking God’s will and then following his instructions–is an important part of every mission trip. It’s one of the principles AIM works to teach to every trip participant from the leaders on down. Each morning during your trip, you’ll have time set aside to ask God what he wants from you that day and to listen for a response.
If it’s not something you do every day, it can be a little bit weird. And, at times, it seems counterintuitive to what we’re supposed to do as youth workers. Our job is to control the chaos through careful planning and execution, right? We’re used to having a set agenda and a schedule in place.
That’s not always how God works, though.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
When you’re in the field, expect to seek God’s will. Then expect him to answer.
Seth Barnes, the founder of Adventures in Missions, wrote a short guide on the concept of actively listening for direction from God: “The Basics of Listening Prayer.” It’s a good primer on what to expect when your group is in the field.
require some discipline to find a quiet place and to allow some time
just listening. Perhaps the hardest part is clearing your mind. With
all the noise of life regularly cascading through your mind, it can be
hard to hear God’s voice. There’s no formula, but let me share a few
principles that have worked for me:
1. Set aside at least half an hour to start. When you are ready, quiet
yourself. If stray thoughts come through your mind, write them down on a
separate piece of paper.
2. Read some scripture. Ask the Lord to speak to you through it in a
way that you can understand. Ask God to protect you in Jesus’ name from
deception.
3. Then write down your question for prayer. Pause. This is where you
wait and listen. God may direct you to another passage of Scripture.
He may share a tender word. Whatever you feel he may be saying to you,
write it down.
How to Test It
degrees of confidence in what he has said. We therefore need to humbly
admit our fallibility. Get someone you trust to check your impression
and to confirm it or not.
2. Does it exalt Christ? (John 16:14)
3. Is it scriptural? Scripture is our authority. God does not
contradict himself. (Proverbs 30:5-6)
4. Do other Christians confirm it? (Proverbs 20:18, Proverbs 15:22)
5. Does God cause it to actually take place? (Isaiah 55:11, Deuteronomy
18:21-22)
Listening prayer isn’t just for the mission field.
Raising up disciples through missions means trip participants take what they’ve learned and experienced on their mission trip and apply to their lives back home. Listening prayer can, and should, be a part of your daily life.
Do you regularly take time out from the noise of life to hear what God has to say? How important is your own personal itinerary when compared with what the creator of the universe has planned for you? Do you get bogged down and stressed out by your own to-do list? Maybe it’s time to set that aside and ask God to help you prioritize (In all honesty, I need to take my own advice more often).
Listening prayer is all about living in the moment and being open to what God’s saying here and now.
What’s he saying to you?
