One of the most dangerous prayers you can say is, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” These words were first uttered by a young man named Samuel in the Hebrew Scripture. They changed his life and can change yours too. If we shut out all the noise around and within us, and seek to hear the voice of the Lord in our hearts, it can change the trajectory of our lives. It will lead us to do the unexpected, love greatly and serve others.
In his book, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God, pastor and author Mark Batterson calls these seven words a bold and ancient prayer. He also issues a warning, “If you aren’t willing to listen to everything God has to say, you eventually won’t hear anything He has to say. If you want to hear His comforting voice, you have to listen to His convicting voice. And it’s often what we want to hear least that we need to hear most.” This prayer will change your life for the better.
The key is to listen and do less talking, easier said than done. It takes practice to develop the art of being quiet both in our heads and hearts, so that we can hear God’s voice. We must learn to be comfortable with silence.
In this bold prayer, we ask God to speak. His words come to us in various ways. We read and hear them through Scripture, in the stories of those who listened and adhered to God’s will. We also hear the voice of God through people who speak to us. Some of them we may know; others may come to us through this prayer.
If we are still long enough, we may feel the nudge of the Spirit. And when we are not sure, we can go back to Scripture and others who can help us sort it out.
Take the bold step and pray, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” You will not be disappointed, but blessed beyond imagination.
