Have you ever thought of “why God is not speaking even though you speak and pray to him?” We always need answers to our prayers. How curiously we have been longing for his replies. The main issue regarding this is we are not listening to Him with our silence and patience. If we wait silently, we can receive a better reply from him. Here are some tips for you:
Meditate on Scripture
After studying Scripture, choose one verse, phrase, or word upon which to meditate. Ponder it and slowly repeat it. Ask the Lord what He wants to say to you (Psalm 119:78).
Choose a verse such as, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want” (Psalm 23:1). Sometimes such a familiar verse loses its meaning. If you meditate on it and ask questions reveal what we may be overlooking.
Sing and Pray the Psalms
“Sing praise to the Lord” (Psalm 68:32). After reading a psalm, begin to sing it to a tune you know or create as you go along. I find that singing a psalm helps me ponder it afresh by increasing my involvement with what I’m reading.
Journal in Prayer
Write your prayers to God and wait for His response. Writing helps us stay focused and probe our thoughts and heart more deeply. Write something you want to tell God (a statement, rather than a question, about something happening in your life). Then listen and ask the Holy Spirit to provide wisdom and understanding to what you are praying out of His Word.
God Speaks through His Creation
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1). Remember David’s words, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand” (Psalm 139:17,18).
Be Still before Him
“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently . . . Let him sit alone and be silent” (Lamentations 3:25,26,29 NASB). In this posture of stillness, we can more keenly hear Him speak. We honor God by expressing our willingness to be still in His presence.
Developing a discipline takes perseverance. Our flesh does not like to be trained and controlled. We will find every reason not to practice contemplative prayer: things must be done, phone calls must be made, worries crowd our thoughts. As we sit in silence, we will itch and squirm, our backs will ache, and our stomachs will grumble. But as we sit with Him in faith and obedience, He will honor our desire to know and hear Him.