Day 21: Hearing God's Voice in Prayer
“This, then, is how you should pray: “ Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ - Matthew 6:9-13
Devotional:
A few months ago, I caught myself doing something embarrassing during a lunch meeting - I was so busy talking that I hadn't touched my food, and the lunch guest had nearly finished his meal. "You know," he smiled, "cold lunch and cold conversations both have the same problem - too much talking, not enough pausing to take it in." His gentle observation hit home, especially when I realized I sometimes treat prayer the same way.
This reminds me of a transformative moment in our prayer ministry. We had always ended our prayer meetings with a long list of requests, but one evening, our prayer leader suggested something different. "Let's spend the first fifteen minutes in silence," she said, "just listening for God's priorities before we present ours." The shift in our prayer focus was profound - we found ourselves praying differently, more aligned with what seemed to be God's heart for our community.
The Lord's Prayer is fascinating because it's not just a template for speaking to God; it's a framework for listening to Him. Notice how it begins - not with our needs or wants, but with relationship ("Our Father") and reverence ("hallowed be your name"). It's like Jesus is teaching us to tune our hearts to the right frequency before we start broadcasting our requests.
What's particularly striking is the order of the prayer. Before we get to "give us," we pray for God's kingdom and will. It's as if Jesus is saying, "Start by listening for what God wants before telling Him what you want." This isn't about ignoring our needs - after all, the prayer includes very practical requests for bread and forgiveness. But it's about finding our needs within the larger context of God's purposes.
The phrase "your will be done" is especially powerful. It's not just a passive acceptance of whatever happens; it's an active alignment with what we hear God saying. When we pray this way, we're positioning ourselves to recognize God's voice and respond to His leading. Prayer becomes less about presenting our agenda to God and more about discovering His agenda for us.
Reflection Questions:
How much of your prayer time is spent talking versus listening for God's voice?
What might change in your life if you started each day by asking "What's on Your heart, Father?" before presenting your requests?
Prayer Prompt: Take time to slowly pray through the Lord's Prayer, pausing after each phrase to listen for what God might be saying to you through these familiar words.