# Examining Listening Prayer

## Metadata
- Author: [[Steven Crawford]]
- Full Title: Examining Listening Prayer
- Category: #books
## Highlights
- Listening prayer is moving with increasing visibility into the mainstream of evangelical practice. The purpose of this book is to examine listening prayer as commonly advocated among evangelical Christians. I do not want to speak on my own, but will try to as far as is possible, develop my arguments from Scriptures. ([Location 100](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=100))
- Teachers such as Eugene Peterson and Dallas Willard have talked about the importance of listening in prayer, and many people who teach on prayer talk about being attentive to the leading of the Spirit and the voice of Jesus as we pray and experience God. ([Location 105](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=105))
- Listening prayer is somewhat inaptly named. Although it begins with prayer, it really is a claim about how God communicates to us. This claim urgently needs to be analyzed. If it is true, it is remarkable, and powerful. Listening prayer advocates realize this and sincerely want everyone to experience it. If it is not true, however, there are consequences, and those need to be understood as well. ([Location 109](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=109))
- also take a closer look at the role listening prayer plays in Jesus Calling, the most popular Christian book of the last 10 years. ([Location 121](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=121))
- am not attempting a thorough theological understanding of communication, although for those that are interested, I would refer you to Communion with God by John Owen. ([Location 131](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=131))
- The underlying assumption is that that God does indeed communicate his mind to his people in a way that is comprehensible for them, and that therefore the basis of our faith is this comprehensible communication. In other words, God speaks and we listen and respond. ([Location 134](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=134))
- Humans were made in the image of God and given a capacity for communication. This capacity is revealed in Scripture when God addresses man after placing him in the garden. God speaks to him using words whose meaning are meant to be understood and responded to rationally. ([Location 138](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=138))
- communicates with his people throughout history, we should keep in mind that man was created to receive external communication using language perceived by the senses. ([Location 147](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=147))
- To summarize, this is the framework of communication: Communication—something is said Authentication—the person speaking is identified Comprehension—the words are understood ([Location 154](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=154))
- Response—the individual acts in accordance with the meaning of the words ([Location 159](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=159))
- God speaks by sending an angelic messenger—. In these cases, an angel appears and gives them a message that he has been sent by God to deliver. An angel appears to the mother of Samson and tells her about God’s plans for her son.[3] The apostles are released from prison and told to teach the people in the temple courts by an angel.[4] ([Location 167](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=167))
- God speaks directly through the medium of an angel—This is slightly different. In these cases, the text specifies that an angel is speaking, but the message is delivered as though God were speaking directly. An example of this is in Exodus: the text says an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. But when the angel speaks, he says I am the God of your father.[5] God speaks through the angel directly, not as a messenger. This apparently led to the first-century belief that in all of the accounts of God speaking directly to his people, it was through words that were formed in the air by angels. Hence Paul says in Galatians that the law was put in place through angels[6] meaning that Moses received communication from God through the medium of angels. ([Location 172](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=172))
- God speaks through dreams—Sometimes this communication is indirect, through interpreting the meaning of the dream. Paul dreams about a Macedonian man who implores them to come to Macedonia.[7] This is received by the group as a communication from God. Sometimes this communication is both direct and indirect. Jacob dreams of a ladder reaching up to heaven and in the midst of this dream God speaks directly to him.[8] This mode of communication is not common, and often… ([Location 181](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=181))
- God speaks through visions—Peter in a trance sees a vision of a sheet being let down from heaven.[9] Isaiah has a vision of being taken into the presence of God in heaven.[10] These visions usually contain both imagery that has to be interpreted (like a sheet filled with unclean animals) and direct… ([Location 188](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=188))
- God speaks through spoken words externally heard—This is exactly what it sounds like, and is the simplest way of interpreting most of the accounts of God speaking to his people. A voice is heard and it is identified as being the voice of God. Abram, still living in Mesopotamia, hears God make promises to him and command him to leave and go to Haran.[11] Saul on the road to Damascus hears a voice addressing him.[12] Philip on the desert road hears the Holy Spirit say go to that chariot and stay near it.[13] Sometimes these words… ([Location 194](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=194))
- God speaks by an appointed human messenger—Something is communicated to them, and they go and share it with others. Nathan is given a message to share with David.[14] Other prophets communicate messages and warnings to Israel. The greatest of this sort of messenger was Jesus… ([Location 202](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=202))
- God speaks by an inspired author—The form of this is what the church says in their prayer in Acts—You spoke long ago through the mouth of your servant, our father David.[15] God spoke through the inspired words of the prophet David, which were then recorded in writing and read and understood by the church for generations. This is the normal way by which God spoke to his people, even before Christ. Though it was more common for prophets to deliver messages on an ongoing basis, most people received communication from God through the public reading… ([Location 206](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B071G6XQ5V&location=206))