Listening prayer is about learning to hear God's voice, waiting for Him to reveal what we need, and allowing Him to meet us in the places of our deepest pain and loneliness. We need more than information. We need encounters with Jesus. 

• Listening prayer is not just talking to God, but waiting and listening for God.

• God wants to be pursued; He hides things not to withhold, but to invite us to search them out (Proverbs 25:2).

• While an inner healing session is a meeting between one person and Jesus, listening prayer is a shared encounter—a band of brothers or sisters meeting together with Him. Inner healing is personal; listening prayer is communal.

God will never tell us something contrary to His Word. We must know Scripture to discern truth from lies.

• "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be opened" (Ephesians 1:18).

• Jesus spent all night in prayer listening to the Father before choosing the twelve (Luke 6:12-13).

• "In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch" (Psalm 5:3).

• "My sheep listen to my voice" (John 10:27).

• "Cease striving and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

• "The Lord God has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens me morning by morning; He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple" (Isaiah 50:4-5).

• We are called to Sabbath: to cease striving and wait for the Lord.

• God often brings up memories we've forgotten or dismissed as "innocuous."

• He reframes our pain by revealing He was there all along.

• He meets us in the place of our deepest wound and fills the void with His presence.

• Emotional healing comes not from more information, but from encountering Jesus in the broken place.

• "Death is swallowed up by life."

• Unbelief: The biggest hindrance. Israel couldn't enter God's rest "because of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:19).

• Anger at God: Feeling He's withheld from us or wasn't there when we needed Him

• Defensive Detachment: When we've been hurt or disappointed, we stop going to God (or others) for our needs. "Forget you, I'll take care of myself."

• Vows and Self-Protection: Decisions we made to survive ("I'll never be like my mother," "I'll never trust anyone") that now block intimacy with God and others.

• Restlessness: Inability to sit still often reveals early deprivation, trauma, or unmet attachment needs.

• Not to fix everything or have all the answers

• Simply to create a safe environment

• To facilitate, participate, and listen for the Lord alongside everyone else

• To gently keep time and protect confidentiality

• • Focus on one person at a time (10–20 min as needed).

    • Move into this time in silence; protect the holy moment.
      
      

  • With permission, place a still hand on the shoulder; others pray silently and wait.

    • Don’t massage or rub.

    • Let emotions come up; don't push them down.

    • We need community; we often experience Jesus through one another. Listening prayer is easier and more powerful in community.

• • The person being prayed for closes his/her eyes and simply observes; he/she listens with the eyes and ears of the heart.

    • If the person’s eyes keep popping open, gently remind him/her to close them again.

    • The person receiving prayer simply becomes aware of what he/she sees, senses, or hears.

    • He/she isn’t trying to “think up” answers or analyze.

    • He/she just notices what comes to mind—any image, memory, word, scripture, emotion, or sense that may arise as he/she sits with Jesus.

    • Don't rush to "make something happen." Abide, linger, and wait.
      
      

  • Brothers/sisters may humbly offer impressions: “I think the Lord may be showing,” or “I’m seeing…”

    • It's like learning a new language: it takes time, practice, and patience.

    • Don't pressure yourself to "get it right" or hear/see something specific.

    • No one is "fixing" or giving advice; we're inviting Jesus to come and reveal, heal, comfort.

    • Non-directive: We don't guide or manufacture imagery; we ask, "Lord, how do You want to minister here?"

• • The person being prayed for weighs what's offered; he/she has the final say on what resonates.

    • Scripture is the guardrail.

    • Jesus is a gentleman, and He waits to be invited in. He won't violate our will.

    • Trust that God will meet you even if it takes several sessions to "hear" clearly.

    • The goal is not just to stop sinning or behaving badly, but to experience the more God has for us: deep intimacy, freedom, joy, and the fervent love He intends. He wants our hearts to be anchored in the truth that Jesus was there, is here, and is making all things new.

• The root issues are the same whether the struggle is pornography, food, substances, anger, or isolation.

• We turn to counterfeits (food, sex, substances, busyness) to fill emotional and spiritual emptiness.

• God wants to fill that void Himself and through authentic community.

• Renouncing vows and self-protective strategies opens the gate for Jesus to come in.