Week: How to Hear God
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Father God, we’re listening. We look forward to what You want to say to us today, through the Bible, through other people, through what we see and hear around us, even through our hearts. Help us to hear You.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Vera Lynn
John 10:27
[Jesus said] ‘My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me.’
John 10:27 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
In today’s Bible reading, we’re REFLECTING on the apostle Paul’s visit to Athens in Greece. While he was there, he spotted something about the culture of the local people – about what they believed.
Read by Vera Lynn
Acts 17:22-23
Then Paul stood before the meeting of the Areopagus and said, ‘People of Athens, I can see you are very religious in all things. As I was going through your city, I saw the objects you worship. I found an altar that had these words written on it: to a god who is not known. You worship a god that you don’t know, and this is the God I am telling you about!’
Acts 17:22-23 (NCV)
Paul learned how to hear God speak through prayer and through reading the Bible. But he also learned to hear God speak in some unusual places too, like the altar to an ‘unknown God’ in the city of Athens. The Athenians worshipped a God they did not know, but God had sent Paul to teach them who this ‘unknown God’ was.
As we pray together and read the Bible, we become familiar with who God is and the things that God says. And this helps us to recognise God speaking in the culture around us too.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Which movies or books or popular songs have inspired or encouraged us recently? Maybe God was speaking to us through it in some way?
And now let’s ask God to help us and others.
Creator God, thank You for the many ways that Your voice can be heard through the culture around us… through music and movies, through art and architecture, through creative people who don’t even believe in You.
Let’s think of a friend who doesn’t yet know Jesus.
Creator God, we ASK You to speak to them through the music they listen to, or the movies they watch, or the celebrities that they admire. Surprise them with your incredible love for them.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Acts 17:22-23
Then Paul stood before the meeting of the Areopagus and said, ‘People of Athens, I can see you are very religious in all things. As I was going through your city, I saw the objects you worship. I found an altar that had these words written on it: to a god who is not known. You worship a god that you don’t know, and this is the God I am telling you about!’
Acts 17:22-23 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Creator God, we say YES to the many ways that you speak to us. We say YES to watching more closely, listening more carefully and pausing to be still more regularly for what you want to say to us. We look forward to hearing You speak, perhaps in unexpected ways.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
John 10:27
[Jesus said] ‘My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me.’
John 10:27 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
* To find out more about Pete Greig’s book go to https://www.24-7prayer.com/how-to-hear-god/
Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.
Vera Lynn is 10 years old and lives in Phoenix, Arizona, USA with her parents, sister, and dog Max. Her favourite hobbies include reading, knitting, sewing, and embroidery. She is very creative. Her favourite book is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis.
