1) Listening to the person with the prayer request. What exactly are they asking for prayer for? It is easy to assume that people want one thing when actually they want another. We need to give space for the ' presenting problem' to give way to something else, something deeper, maybe more difficult to share. We need to remember that many people who want prayer have considerable insight into their own situation and know pretty precisely how they want to be prayed for. Listen. If we dont listen people feel unheard and therefore unloved.2) Listening to the Lord as we are listening to the prayer request. What is He saying about the whole thing. How should we pray - who should pray - scripture and prophetic insights come and need to be sensitively shared.
3) Listening to the prayers of others in the room. Recognising and agreeing with the truth being prayed and hearing from Jesus where you need to add something to build on what has already been prayed. In listening to the things other people were praying, I was able to identify people in the room who I hadn't met before but had clearly had the same experience of God and teaching about Jesus that I have had. It's like being able to hear someone speaking your language in a room full of foreigners. Last night there were many words prayed but there was a huge amount of listening going on in the room as we brought two parents struggling with illness and their four lovely kids before the Lord. Im pretty sure we could have prayed fewer but more significant prayers if we had all been better at listening - but God knows our hearts and heard our faltering words. He is always listening. And He is always moved to action when He hears his kids talking to him
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