A Mission to Listen
Listening Prayer Therapy happens spontaneously at the heart level. However, it is blocked by too much analysis at the head level.
For listening to be successful the 'noise' in our heads must stop. Our doubts, questions and stream of thinking must be stilled.
Although our head does not need to turn off during listening, it must go into an observer mode. The prophet Habakkuk after talking out plainly to God - Chapter One - says, 2:1 - "I will watch to see what he will say within me."
After the resurrection of Jesus he appeared to two on the road to Emmaus who returned to Jerusalem that very night in the dark. They were told by the 11 apostles that "the Lord really is risen, and has appeared to Simon!" When they gave their report confirming this, Jesus Himself joined them. But they were startled and in fear. Jesus rebuked them in words that we need to speak to our heads: "Why are you disturbed and troubled, and why do such doubts and questionings arise in your hearts?"
Like the apostles our heads can get in the way of receiving into our midst the risen Christ. For example, my head full of theology may be busy doing theological thinking rather than listening to Jesus. My head head can be busy, like Martha, in the theological kitchen brewing up a theological discourse rather than sitting still, like Mary, at Jesus feet - listening to Jesus.
let your mind observe - see, hear and sense - what is happening, in this way you stay open and ready to encounter the risen Christ in your spirit.
One example of this in Listening Prayer Therapy is in Christian grief counselling. Take a look at the article on "grief and comfort" on www.HealMyLife.com.
The one command from the father heart of God to the disciples was: "Listen to my son, Jesus." At the mount of transfiguration God the Father spoke to the disciples: "This is my beloved son, listen to him." Can you agree to this command, this order from heaven? Can you honour your heavenly Father by listening to Jesus?
Such simple words. What a brief missions statement. The Father heart of God says to my heart: "Listen to my son, Jesus." My instructions are to listen to Jesus. And my response? "Yes, Lord."
However, according to the intellectual MIND VERSION of the Bible, God the Father said: "This is my beloved Son. I would be honoured if you built a monument to Him on this mount, and many buildings to honour and talk about Jesus, and large theological colleges filled with big theological books teaching about my son, and if you held religious services in the name of my son where you sang to him and preached about him and you were very careful to come up with fresh thoughts about him and theologically accurate thoughts about about him and blah, blah, blah."
NOT!
Peter was not encouraged to build a monument on the mount. God is not honoured in all our sophisticated intellectual talk about Jesus. Our God and our Father asks us to talk with Jesus. He wants us to listen to Jesus.
"This is my beloved Son. LISTEN TO HIM."
This is the mission of Listening Prayer Therapy.
George <><
posted by George C. Hartwell @ Tuesday, July 27, 2004
1 Comments
1 Comments:
Hi Paul, My post is focussed on how our over-intellectual culture and our over-active minds will hinder our hearing from God.
There are blocks at other levels of our beings as well: a deep resistance and rebellion against God, an anger against God, a turning away from God in our inner being - our human spirit. This will interfre with hearing God.
There can be blocks because of diet of too much sugar, pop and coffee and not enough sleep. In Biblical days one slept when it got dark; the doors were closed when the beds cam down, the fires and candles went out and people slept a lot longer night. This meant that several hours of the night were available for light sleep, or reverie, and God spoke to men at this time in dreams and night visions.
We are a people who stay up at night, have much to read, get information overload every day, are highly trained intellectually and who over-value mind, intellect and education. God wants to speak to our hearts and we don't open the phone lines. We need get out of "Sending Mode" and enter "Receiving mode." We need to stop the chatter in our minds and "Be still". If we are going to be healed, if we are going to move with faith, if we are to obey God we first must "Listen to Him."
I now believe that it was quite significant that Peter at Pentacost quoted Joel on receiving the Holy Spirit and receiving dreams and visions.
I believe future generations of Christians will be able to meet the Risen Christ through dreams and visions. Open your imagination to dream and vision and lay your brain to sleep.
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