Listening to His Voice

Listening for the voice of God seems to be a misplaced phenomenon.Lost in the midst of growing religious activity and business is the art of being still-consciously turning our ears to hear God.
Could it be we don't hear God because we have trained ourselves to hear Him?Our busy lives have squelched out the clear powerful voice of God so we no longer even recognize it.We must carve out time to purposefully listen for God's voice through prayer,meditation on His word,and worship.If we listen we'll hear the voice that speaks eternally.Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 says "as you enter the House of God,keep your ears open and your mouth shut!..He is in heaven and you are only here on earth,so let your words be few".
For most of my christian life,I left my prayer time feeling like I just had a one way conversation and recieved absolutley no response.I desperately longed to have a regular encounter with God.I believed God wanted more out of my prayer life with Him and so did I.That's when I seriosly began the art of listening,making prayer more about God and less about me.
In 1Corinthians 14:15,Paul said he prayed with his mind and also with his spirit.Mental prayer is what we participate in most often,but we shouldn't limit our prayer lives to it.Spirit led prayer gives the Holy spirit an oppurtunity to direct our prayer time.He alone knows the thoughts of God and can express them as he leads us in prayer.when I embark on this journey in my prayer time,I turn my thoughts inward and allow the Holy spirit to direct my time in prayer.The more I practice this type of prayer,the more I develop the abiltiy to do it anywhere,no matter the chaos swirling around me.
Many times I use praise and worship music as the backdrop of my time with God.As the worship music speaks of His attributes,I listen to the lyrics and allow them to lead me into personal worship.During this time God leads me and shows me how He wants to be worshiped and how I should spend my time with Him.As the music envelops me,I am both overwhelmed and encouraged by an awareness of His presence.
By listening to God through prayer,mediatation on His word,and worship,the Holy spirit will begin to speak to you,revealing God's personal and timely word for your life.