Introduction

Good morning, beloved family. It is a joy to gather once again in God's house, a place where we can feel His presence, hear His voice, and learn His ways. We are here today, not merely as bystanders, but as active participants in the divine dialogue that God has initiated with us, His children. We are here to listen, to understand, and to respond to His voice.

Our Scripture passage today is Matthew 13:15 which says, "For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them."

This verse, my dear friends, is a wake-up call to each one of us. How often do we find ourselves in the same predicament as the people in this passage, our hearts hardened, our ears deaf, and our eyes blind to the voice of God? Are we not often guilty of being so caught up in the noise and distractions of this world that we fail to hear the gentle whisper of God?

Today, we will be focusing on the Posture of Prayer, the Perils that Hinder Hearing, and the Pursuit of God's Voice. As we navigate these points, may we find ourselves challenged, changed, and charged to become better listeners of God's voice.

Let us bow our heads in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we humble ourselves before You today, acknowledging our need for You. We confess that we have often allowed the noise and distractions of this world to drown out Your voice. Today, we ask for Your help. Tune our hearts to hear Your voice. Open our ears to listen and our hearts to understand. As we study Your Word today, may we not only be hearers but doers of Your Word. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Posture of Prayer

In the realm of our spiritual lives, the way we position ourselves in prayer is of utmost importance. It's not about the physical posture, whether we kneel, stand, or sit, but rather about the posture of our hearts. It's about coming to God with a humble and open heart, ready to listen and receive from Him. This is the kind of posture that God honors, a posture that is receptive and responsive to His voice.

When we come to God in prayer, we need to come with a sense of expectancy. We need to believe that He hears us and that He will answer us. This expectancy is not about demanding from God or trying to manipulate Him into doing what we want. Rather, it's about trusting in His goodness and His faithfulness. It's about believing that He knows what's best for us and that He will do what's best for us.

We also need to come to God with a sense of reverence. God is not our buddy or our pal. He is the Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is holy and righteous, and we need to approach Him with the respect and honor that He deserves. This doesn't mean that we should be afraid of Him or that we should keep our distance from Him. On the contrary, God invites us to draw near to Him, to come boldly to His throne of grace. But even as we draw near to Him, we need to remember who He is and who we are in relation to Him.

Another important aspect of our prayer posture is persistence. Jesus taught His disciples to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. He encouraged them to be persistent in prayer, not because God is reluctant to answer, but because persistence is a demonstration of our faith and our dependence on God. It shows that we are serious about our relationship with Him, and that we are not just looking for quick fixes or easy answers.

Finally, we need to approach God with a spirit of submission. This means surrendering our will to His will, and our plans to His plans. It means acknowledging that His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. It's about saying, "Not my will, but Yours be done."

Transition. All these elements form the posture of prayer that God desires from us. This is the posture that enables us to hear from God, to understand His heart, and to respond to His voice. It's not about going through the motions or saying the right words. It's about positioning our hearts in a way that is open and responsive to God. It's about cultivating a relationship with Him, a relationship that is marked by communication and communion. This is the posture of prayer that we are called to adopt, a posture that enables us to hear from God and respond to His voice.

Perils that Hinder Hearing

As we continue to reflect on the words of Matthew 13:15, we are confronted with the reality of the perils that hinder our hearing ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO