Overview
On Sunday we followed on from last Equipping, looking at the other 3 aspects of prayer (the first being Talking to God) which are:
Talking with God: “As disciples of Jesus, we long to pray our own words and share what’s on our minds and hearts. In prayer, we bring our pain, hopes, joys, and fears to God in a personalised way. Gratitude, lament, and petition or intercession are all dimensions of talking with God that we can spend a lifetime exploring.”
Listening to God: “Prayer is not just when we talk but when we listen to hear his voice. As Jesus said in John 10v27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” This is a Spirit-generated desire in the heart of a disciple of Jesus.”
Being with God: “There comes a point in our spiritual journey when prayer goes beyond words to simple loving presence, or what the ancient Christians called “union” with God. This type of prayer has come to be called “contemplation,” based on 2 Corinthians 3v18. To contemplate is to look, to gaze upon the beauty of God, receiving his love pouring out toward you in Christ and by the Spirit, and then giving your love back in return.”
Talking with God –
While ‘Talking to God’ is the first step in our prayer lives, for the relationship to grow, we must move on to ‘Talking with God’. It’s more intimate and real. It will result in us expressing gratitude and lament, naturally leading to petition & intercession.
It’s a way of aligning our view with God’s, an act of spiritual defiance when things appear to be evil in the world. It is an expansion of the line from the Lord’s prayer: ‘your kingdom come, your will be done’.
God’s is so willing to listen to us e.g.
Psalm 6:9 – “The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer”
Psalm 145:18 – “The Lord is near to all who call on him”
Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”
We can be real with God, like David in the psalms and share whatever is on our hearts.
‘Ave a go
Have a go at lamenting.
Definition of Lament:
noun
1. a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. “his mother’s night-long laments for his father”
Similar: wailing, moaning, groan, weeping, crying, sobbing, howl, complaint
2. a complaint. “there were constant laments about the conditions of employment”
You may be able to think of a situation straight away that angers or upsets you. If so, use that. If not, look up something from the news.
If being totally real with God is something you’re comfortable with already, why not have a go at writing your own lament? Or use Psalm 10 as a written prayer for the situation you want to lament about:
Psalm 10 (NIV)
1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by[b] him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;
he covers his face and never sees.”12 Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account”?
14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.
Listening to God –
This is not just about hearing God speak, it’s about surrendering to him, being open to his Spirit in us, and his guidance for our lives. We have the mind of Christ so our thoughts can be from him. Prayer is the place of transformation.
‘Ave a go
Doodle your answers to these questions (whatever comes into your head while you reflect):
Questions:
- What expectations do you have of God?
- Do you think these are fair and realistic?
- Do you feel like He has met them?
- What expectations does God have of you?
- Do you think they’re fair and realistic?
- How do they make you feel?
- Do you feel like you meet them?
Being with God –
This is about being rather than doing or asking. We can rest in his presence without the need for words or requests. God’s presence in us is enough. Resting in the knowledge of his love and peace, letting go of distractions or things weighing us down. It’s about being still and knowing that he is God (Psalm 46:10).
‘Ave a go
Use one of the phrases below (or come up with your own) to help you meditate, whilst taking deep breaths (often called breath prayer). Try for 5 mins but don’t beat yourself up if your mind wanders, just repeat the phrase and recentre yourself on God’s Spirit in you 🙂
In: be still and know
Out: that he is God
or
In: the lord is my shepherd
Out: I shall not want
Go Deeper
If you found this session helpful, I would recommend this book:
Great summary here: https://annarborvineyard.org/participate/spiritual-formation/spiritual-styles-the-nine-sacred-pathways/
Wanna do it with a few friends or your Belonging Group? We have the study guide in the office, let us know if you want to borrow it.
