REDISCOVER PRAYER AS LISTENING
Pastor Joel Bernardino – January 23, 2026
Many believers still pray—but not all believers are truly listening.
We treat prayer like a speech or a checklist.
• “Lord, bless my life, my family, my work…”
• “Lord, help me with my problem…”
• “Lord, give me my heart’s desire…”
Real prayer is not only speaking to God—real prayer is also listening to God.
If we truly want to rediscover prayer, we must rediscover prayer as listening.
Prayer was never meant to be a one-way conversation.
• It is a relationship.
• And every healthy relationship involves listening.
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Listening prayer…
• It requires trust – Trust in the Lord
• Trust requires you to stop relying solely on your own understanding.
• Trust requires surrender – In all your ways submit to him
LISTENING PRAYER REQUIRES SURRENDER
• Before God speaks clearly, He often asks us to let go.
• We do not struggle to hear God because He is silent.
Note: We struggle to hear from God not because He is not speaking but because our hearts are filled with noise, control, and assumptions.
1. We need to give God room to speak.
Surrender your desire to control the conversation.
Many of us prefer to speak rather than to listen.
• Some people avoid listening because deep inside, they fear what God might say.
• Listening means correction, conviction, and change.
• So, we keep praying—but we don’t pause.
In listening prayer, we stop dominating the moment with our words and allow God to speak.
Many of us pray like this:
• We talk fast
• We list our needs
• We give God instructions
• Then we say, “Amen,” and leave
Prayer becomes one-way communication!
• We treat prayer like a speech: “Lord, bless this”… “Lord, fix that”… “Lord, give me…”
• Our prayer becomes a monologue instead of a dialogue.
But listening prayer says, “Lord, I trust You enough to be silent.”
Illus: The Radio Signal
A radio does not create the signal—it only receives it.
But for the signal to be heard, the radio must be tuned to the correct frequency.
In the same way, God is always speaking.
The issue is not God’s silence—it is our tuning.
Silence in prayer is not doing nothing.
Silence is an act of faith.
When we stop talking, we give God room to speak.
Illus: The Teacher Speaking in a Noisy Classroom
A teacher may be speaking clearly at the front of the room.
But if students are talking, moving, and distracted, they miss the lesson.
The teacher is not silent.
The classroom is just too noisy.
Likewise, God still speaks—but many times our lives are too crowded to hear.
2. We need to lay down our own understanding before God.
Surrender your assumptions, opinions, and conclusions.
Proverbs says, “Lean not on your own understanding.”
This is difficult because we love explanations.
• We want clarity before obedience.
• We want answers before surrender.
But listening prayer means releasing:
• Our assumptions
• Our opinions
• Our conclusions
Illus: Waiting for Instructions During an Emergency
In emergencies, people are told:
“Stay calm and wait for instructions.”
Those who panic talk.
Those who trust listen.
Sometimes God cannot guide us because we already decided.
When we cling to our understanding,
we block God’s direction.
Listening prayer says,
“Lord, I may not understand, but I trust You.”
3. We need to choose trust over certainty.
Surrender your logic, comfort, or plans.
Listening prayer requires faith.
• We believe God is speaking even when we cannot hear immediately.
• We stay still long enough to be tuned to His voice.
• We trust that silence is part of the process.
Note: Faith says, “I will keep listening, because God is speaking.”
Faith means believing that God knows better—
even when His guidance challenges our logic, comfort, or plans.
We often want certainty:
• “Lord, explain everything first.”
• “Lord, show me the whole picture.”
• “Lord, guarantee the outcome.”
But God often gives direction, not details.
Listening prayer chooses trust over certainty.
It says, “Even if I don’t fully understand, I will follow.”
Illus: A Child Listening to a Parent in the Dark
Imagine a child walking in a dark room holding the hand of a parent.
The child cannot see clearly.
The child does not know where the next step leads.
But the child trusts the voice of the parent.
Listening prayer is like that.
Faith says,
“I may not see clearly, but I trust the One who is guiding me.”
Listening prayer requires faith because we believe:
• God knows what to do
• God sees what we cannot see
• God’s voice brings order, not confusion
Faith silences panic so we can hear God.
4. We need to develop spiritual attentiveness
Surrender your ears to hear from God… remove distractions.
We must learn to discern God’s voice through His Word, the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and a heart sensitive to His leading.
John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.”
Jesus did not say, “My sheep hear My voice occasionally.”
He said, “My sheep hear My voice.”
God speaks through His Word:
What is the Word of God is saying to us?
• Sometimes God may speak to you to give to someone.
• Sometimes God may speak to you to forgive that person.
• Sometimes God may speak to you to respect your leader’s decision even when you don’t understand.
• Sometimes God may speak to you to be patient.
God speaks through the Holy Spirit
What is the Holy Spirit leading you to do?
• Sometimes He leads you to stop doing something that hurts God’s heart.
• Sometimes He leads you to share the Gospel with someone.
• Sometimes, He gives you a special assignment – a missionary in Papua New Guinea
God speaks through godly counsel.
He talks to us through a godly person.
He often uses godly people to say:
• “Slow down.”
• “Pray about that decision.”
• “That direction doesn’t seem right.”
Note: Godly people are often God’s warning signs in our lives.
God speaks through conviction.
Conviction protects you from greater damage.
When the Holy Spirit convicts us:
• God is saying, “Something needs attention.”
• God is saying, “That is not right.”
• God is saying, “You need to stop.”
Note: Conviction is not condemnation—it is God’s loving warning system.
God speaks through peace—or the lack of peace.
When you drive, traffic lights guide you:
• Green light — go
• Red light — stop
You don’t argue with the light.
You don’t pray it away.
You obey it.
God often uses peace as a green light
and lack of peace as a red light.
Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”
Peace is not just a feeling—it is God’s inner traffic signal.
God still speaks—but many times we are too busy to hear.
Listening prayer requires us to:
• Slow down
• Remove distractions
• Wait intentionally on the Lord
Silence is not emptiness.
Silence is invitation.
Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Stillness is not passive.
Stillness is surrender.
When we develop spiritual attentiveness, God fills it with His presence and guidance.
Illus: Elijah and the Gentle Whisper
In 1 Kings 19, Elijah expected God in the wind, earthquake, and fire.
But God spoke in a gentle whisper.
If God spoke through noise, busy people would hear Him easily.
But God often speaks softly—so only those who slow down can hear.
Busyness makes us chase noise.
Stillness trains us to hear whispers.
5. We need to obey what God reveals.
True surrender is proven through obedience.
Listening prayer is incomplete unless we respond to what God says.
It is possible to hear God—
and still resist Him.
But obedience says,
“Lord, I will act on what You have shown me.”
God speaks not just to inform us—but to transform us.
Every instruction from God is an invitation to deeper trust.
Illus: Abraham Leaving Without Full Directions
Abraham did not receive a detailed map from God.
Hebrews 11:8, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out… not knowing where he was going.”
Abraham listened—and then he moved.
Listening prayer often gives:
• Direction without explanation
• Instruction without details
• Guidance without guarantees
Faith listens first and understands later.
CLOSING
We hear God most clearly
when we trust Him fully
and stop leaning on our own understanding.
If we want to rediscover prayer,
we must rediscover listening.
Less talking.
More trusting.
More surrender.
Ask God today:
“Lord, what are You trying to tell me that I have been too busy—or too afraid—to hear?”
Because when we surrender,
God speaks.
