Sometimes I realize I talk too much. Actually, my wife has known that for years.
Every now and then, when I’m rambling on, she’ll tap me on the hand, smile, and say, “Honey, would you just listen for a moment?”
The other day, I realized I sometimes do the same thing with God.
Learning to Pray
When we were young, many of us were taught prayer meant speaking to God. We memorized prayers, learned to say them out loud, and found our first words for talking with God.
The Our Father.
The Apostles’ Creed.
The Glory Be.
We could say them by heart long before we understood all they meant.
And that was a gift.
The Gift of Inherited Prayers
There’s something beautiful about having prayers handed down to us. They give us words before we know how to find our own. They teach us reverence. They teach us rhythm. They teach us that prayer matters.
For many of us, prayer began with spoken words. Memorized words. Faithful words.
And that’s not a bad place to begin.
When the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), he gave them words. He gave them the Our Father—a talking prayer. A prayer of trust, surrender, forgiveness, and daily bread.
Talking and Listening Prayer
But Jesus not only taught us how to talk to God—he also showed us how to be with God—and that listening, too, is a way of communicating with God.
That’s the side of prayer many of us weren’t taught.
Talking prayer is one form of prayer. Listening prayer is the other half.
Both belong in a life-long relationship with God.
Talking prayer is how we bring our hearts to God. We thank. We ask. We confess. We praise. We cry out for help. We bring our fears, our hopes, our burdens, and our needs.
Listening prayer is how we make room to hear what’s on God’s heart. It’s how we notice the gentle whisper of love, the quiet nudges of the Spirit, the peace, encouragement, and guidance that come when we stop filling every moment with words.
In any intimate relationship, both matter. We talk. And we listen.
That’s how closeness grows. The same is true with God.
Listening Prayer
In Matthew 6:6, Jesus says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
There’s something simple and inviting about that.
It doesn’t sound complicated or lofty. It sounds like Jesus saying: find a place, shut out the noise, and be with God.
1. Go Into Your Room
There’s something practical about that phrase: “Go into your room.”
Not climb a mountain.
Not figure everything out.
Not become more spiritual first.
Go into your room. Find a place where you can be alone with God.
Maybe it’s a chair in the den before anyone else is awake.
Maybe it’s the corner of a bedroom.
Maybe it’s the living room with a cup of coffee and one lamp on.
Maybe it’s the car for five quiet minutes before going inside.
It doesn’t have to be fancy.
We don’t need a monastery.
We just need a place.
A place the body recognizes.
A place that feels familiar.
A place that quietly says: this is where I meet God.
Over time, that place becomes more than a location.
It becomes a resting place.
2. Close the Door
Then Jesus says, “Close the door.”
Turn off social media. Silence the phone. Step away from the news, the texts, the endless scrolling.
For a few minutes, close the door on the noise that keeps pulling at our attention.
That may be one of the hardest parts of prayer. Because even when the room is quiet, the mind often isn’t.
The to-do list is still calling.
The unfinished conversation is still echoing.
The worry is still tapping us on the shoulder.
But “close the door” can mean more than shutting a literal door. It can mean closing the door on distractions and opening the heart to listen for God’s presence.
Not forever.
Just long enough to breathe.
Long enough to settle.
Long enough to be present.
That’s where prayer begins to shift.
Not just talking to God, but listening.
Not just expressing the heart, but opening it.
Not just saying words, but making room for relationship.
Many of us were taught how to say prayers. But we weren’t always taught how to sit still long enough to listen.
3. Your Father Will Reward You
The word “reward” can sound strange at first, as if Jesus is talking about winning the lottery when we’ve prayed long enough.
But the reward is deeper than that.
The reward is relationship.
The reward is realizing we don’t have to do life alone.
We can be still and know God.
We can hear God beneath the noise.
Sometimes the reward is peace in the midst of anxiety.
Sometimes it’s encouragement when we’re worn thin.
Sometimes it’s affirmation when we’ve forgotten who we are.
Sometimes it’s the gentle whisper:
Slow down.
Trust me.
Call that person.
Let that go.
Take the next step.
Sometimes the reward is clarity.
A softer heart.
A wiser response.
A little more courage.
Not because God is handing out prizes for private prayer, but because when we get quiet enough to listen, we notice that God has been with us all along.
We recognize life isn’t meant to be a solo project. We’re invited into relationship. Into partnership. Into a more direct, intimate connection with God.
Listening as a Way of Life
Over time, listening begins to shape the rest of our day.
At the kitchen sink.
In the car.
On a walk.
Before a difficult conversation.
In a moment of stress.
When we stop to listen, something in us remembers:
I can pause here.
I can be quiet here.
I’m not alone here.
Prayer is not only something we say. It becomes a way of living in relationship with the God of love who is already here. God with us. God in us.
A Simple Practice for Listening Prayer
If listening prayer feels new, here’s a simple way to begin.
Step One: Find a place
Choose a place where you can be alone with God each day.
A chair in the den.
A corner of the bedroom.
A spot on the porch.
A quiet place in the living room.
Let it be simple. Let it be real.
Over time, this place can become a resting place for your soul.
Step Two: Close the door
Turn off the distractions.
Silence your phone.
Step away from the noise.
This is your time to become present to yourself and God.
A few quiet minutes can make more room for God than you think.
Step Three: Settle your body
Sit down.
Put your feet on the floor.
Take a few slows breaths.
Let your body know it’s safe to be still.
You don’t have to force anything.
Just arrive.
Step Four: Offer a simple prayer
Then offer a prayer of presence like:
God, I’m here.
Speak, Lord. I’m listening.
You need little words.
Just a simple willingness to be with God is enough.
Step Five: Be still
Now let yourself be still.
When your mind wanders, gently come back to your breath.
No pressure.
No striving.
Just return.
Listening prayer doesn’t begin with getting it right.
It begins with making room.
Step Six: Notice what you received
At the end, write down one thing you noticed.
Maybe it was a word.
Maybe it was a sense of peace.
Maybe it was simply this: I showed up.
And that is enough.
That’s how listening prayer begins.
And maybe that’s the invitation for us: to stop making prayer a one-way conversation.
To talk, yes. Also to listen.
Because sometimes, like my wife reminds me when I talk too much, the best thing we can do is be quiet and listen, so we can hear God talk.
And if you need a jump starter, you can download my free 10-day Plan to Quiet Your Mind and Experience God along with several other Street Level Guides. Click here to check them out.
Have a blessed week of listening.
Your friend in the flow,
brian
************************
If you’re seeking a gentler start to your mornings—one you can carry with you into your day to find more inner peace—I invite you to join DivineFlow Daily, a free short reflection and quote sent to your inbox each day. In under a minute, it’s meant to help you slow down, breathe, and remember what truly gives life before the noise sets in.
Sign up for divineFlow Daily here.
0 Comments