{"id":24302,"date":"2026-03-11T15:55:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T15:55:04","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-08-05T14:52:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T18:52:04","slug":"listening-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/prayer\/how-to-pray\/listening-prayer\/","title":{"rendered":"Listening Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"

You will keep him in perfect peace,<\/em> Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.<\/em> (Isaiah 26:3)<\/p>\n

The simplest definition of prayer is that we are talking to God. But that leaves out one important element: listening to God<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If I am only talking and not listening, I often only hear my own problems. That can keep the mind cluttered with worry. This happens unless I make a point to listen while I pray, to pause every now and then to hear God\u2019s reassurance that He is with me.<\/p>\n

The question, of course, is whether or not God says anything in response to the prayers I send up. I would say that God does speak to us<\/a>, and not just when we are actually praying or talking to him. So we return to the question: Are we listening? The prophet Isaiah tells us that God will keep us in perfect peace when our minds are focused on the Lord.<\/p>\n

When the mind is listening to the overwhelming evidence that tells us how difficult life is, we are filled with worry<\/a>. We then begin to imagine scenarios that suggest chaotic existence rather than peace. There is a solution to the worried mind, and it is found in God\u2019s word. I have tried it and I know that it works. Whenever we find something good, I think we should share it.<\/p>\n

Prayer points for listening to God:<\/p>\n