Hi classmates,
When we started last Sunday, I asked for questions that you might have concerning prayer. I figured that though we each pray, we each also would like to “do better at prayer”. We got some very good questions, and you can read the list of them at our class notes. Of these, I thought that we probably could get some really fun discussion from the question, “How to listen to God better when praying?”
You know the old saying that, “Practice makes perfect”, especially when that practice comes with feedback. We talked about ways that we might know whether we heard from God (agrees with scripture, peace in my heart, witness from others), but actually a very solid affirmation is when we do obey what we believe God showed us, and real-time events happen in a way that affirm the leading we received.
So what am I saying? As an example, I offer my experience with this class. I was appointed to teach when I asked Mike Fleetwood to send me class notes for this time when I expected to be out on vacation. He turned the situation around and said he was going to be gone for a month, and would I teach? After some stammering, I agreed, but had no idea what to teach about. My first thought was to talk about something related to God and the US, as I thought the first class would be on 7/4. Pastor Rod corrected that thinking, so back to the drawing board. I had already asked God, but hadn’t heard anything yet. I then considered a short course on evangelism, or something similar, but that didn’t feel right. Still looking for something that was relevant to what God was doing with us present-tense. While reading in a book I mentioned in class, “Growing the Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit“, I was struck by how important it is that we are able to communicate effectively with God – that prayer is so essential to what the authors called “dancing with God”.
Prayer – listening – interceding. Eureka. I was able to draft a lot of it, but the finishing touch was realizing that I needed to put myself in the position of facilitator and allow the Holy Spirit to lead the class and teach us.
Do you see the process? God put me into a place where I really needed him to lead. I invited him to lead. I then looked at possibilities, all the while seeking to sense with my heart if one idea or the other felt right. I talked to others, read, looking for confirmation. I stepped out of my comfort zone – and you know what – if God hadn’t shown up at the class on Sunday you would have seen one embarrassed hombre. But even that would have been a learning experience. As it is, I learned from our class, in detail as well as in affirmation that God was leading me. And that is such a cool realization.
What about you? What experiences have you had that perhaps you just figured were coincidence, but maybe just might have been God at work. Most times that I realize God was at work end up in hindsight, but the more I’m willing to risk and obey, the more I am seeing in real-time rather than hindsight that God is right there with me.