Rediscover Prayer As Listening Series

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: