This article discusses the so-called Prayer Ministry. This Ministry believes that the Spirit speaks to the believer through prayer and the believer then listens in prayer. This article looks at the way God speaks to us, the relationship of Spirit and Word, praying in the Spirit, and the character of prayer.

Source: Meer dan genoeg (De Vuurbaak). 13 pages. Translated by Albert H. Oosterhoff.

Listening Prayer About Prayer Ministry and the Reformed Faith

“After reading God’s Word, join together in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to come among you. Place your hand lightly on your shoulder or your head. Don’t fear silence. Use it to banish your thoughts and to focus consciously on God. Listen to each other as well as to God. Concentrate on what God says during the prayer. Pay attention to a whispering voice or a quiet hint. God sometimes gives us an image, a word, a text, or a ‘coincidental’ thought. Keep your eyes open and observe what happens1If we are all silent before God and afterwards ask each other: what things did you see, what did you think about? and it becomes apparent that there is much agreement, then the Spirit leads the prayer.”

1. Description and Background🔗

Prayer Ministry🔗

You can expect exhortations of this sort when you encounter ‘listening prayer’, or ‘prayer ministry’. It is called listening prayer, because you yourself are not speaking the words of the prayer. You are seeking silence in a prayer to listen to God. You adopt a listening attitude by banishing your own thoughts, opening yourself up, and focusing yourself consciously on Him. By way of a number of questions I shall describe this manner of prayer before critiquing it.

How do you approach listening prayer and what is your attitude?

After you have read and thought about God’s word, you ask the Holy Spirit to make himself known. You have already praised and admired God in prayer and song. Then, in the silence you seek God and ask him to speak. You can’t expect to hear God’s voice just like that; you have to prepare yourself for it. You pray in the power of the Spirit. In the first place, that demands expectation on your part. You must trust that the Spirit will indeed come among us when we invite him. To that end you appeal to the promise of the Lord Jesus that he will give us his Spirit when we ask him (Luke 11:13). Further, you have to be prepared to wait. Do not fear the silence, for the Spirit will not be rushed. He demands attentiveness, concentration and a listening attitude.

How does God make himself known?

He can let himself be known via a whispering voice from out of your subconscious. You may also receive a quiet hint, an inspiration, a specific image, a remarkable thought, or a new insight. People who have experienced it are often surprised by what comes into their minds, something that would never have occurred to them otherwise.

Why is it called prayer ministry?

Because you are not the only one who benefits from a divine inspiration; you also share it with others. For it may be that God wants to let you know something very specific to pass on to or about the person with whom you are praying. For example, three people are praying together and during that prayer two of them separately receive a word or an image that matches. You can also serve each other as you are praying together. Then you tell each other what, in your opinion, the Spirit is setting free in the other person. This way of praying is a listening to God and at the same time a listening to each other when you tell the other what God has brought about. In this way Christians seek an intimate bond with God and with each other.

How do you recognize God’s voice?

For that you need to acquire, with the help of God’s Spirit a feeling for what he is telling you. You have to feel a tension between your own preconceived ideas and what God is really saying. For that purpose you have to develop a listening ear in a direct relationship with God. By way of confirmation, this can give you rest and peace in your heart. Alternatively, you will receive confirmation from the persons with whom you are praying. In that way you together learn to recognize God’s voice. If there is substantial congruity in what you experienced prayerfully together, and you learnt, heard, or saw the same things, you can trust that the Spirit led your prayer, at least if it was completely congruent with what the Bible teaches. That is an important condition.

A direct relationship🔗

This form of prayer will be unfamiliar to many Christians. This manner of seeking a relationship with God makes one curious and also raises questions. What lies behind it? In this section I shall try to describe the background of this method of seeking a relationship with God.

What lies behind it is the conviction that God does not speak only through the written Word, but that he also addresses himself directly to his children through his Spirit. So if you are satisfied with the written Word, you are really short-changing yourself. You can attain much more in your relationship with God by a direct, living relationship. One person described this as follows: The Bible is God’s Word (logos), but there is also another word (rèma) that denotes the direct, personal speaking of God.

As a Christian, who would not desire to hear God’s speaking directly? A more direct contact is not possible, a more personal relationship is unthinkable. Why would God not do the same thing as in the time of Samuel, whom he addressed directly (1 Sam 3:4)? Why would he not let us hear his voice as he did during Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan (Matt 3:17) and during the transfiguration on the mountain (Matt 17:5)? In his High Priestly prayer the Lord Jesus speaks about the words (rèmata) that he received (John 17:8). Surely that refers to a direct communication? Paul also had a special experience during which he heard inexpressible things (rèmata) (2 Cor 12:4).

God still wants to speak through his Spirit. But people won’t hear it if they fail to adopt a listening attitude and only speak in a one-way prayer to God. When we fill the silences with our words, we hinder that direct communication. Christians deny themselves the opportunity for direct communication when they do not listen in silence,

Of course, this does not deny that God himself speaks in the Bible, his written Word. The Bible is important and occupies a unique place. But it is not all there is. The Holy Spirit is more than the Word (1 Thess 5:20, 21). You should not confine him in the Word. The Spirit’s whispers occupy an important place, beside or in line with the Bible. A mature relationship with Christ comes into being when we are able to receive these whispers.

Thus far the description of the background. People extend a distinct invitation to God the Holy Spirit as they seek the presence of God (Leanne Payne), because they are convinced that he can make himself known in the silence. That happens by means of inspirations beside or apart from the Word. Some Christians readily say: This is how the Lord spoke to me. They appeal to a specific direction from God and refer to the Bible as a second source. Others are much more careful and say: It appears that God wants to say this to me. But regardless, they agree that God makes himself known in a special way that is separate from the Bible. As a Christian, you have to look for this way if you desire a closer relationship with God.

Surrender from the inside🔗

To understand this form of listening prayer, we need to pay attention to something else that is behind it. That is a desire for experience as distinct from a rational relationship with God. In what follows I shall attempt to describe this background.

Praying in the Spirit demands surrender, It requires us to give up control, to make ourselves vulnerable, and to entrust ourselves completely to him. If we want to keep control of all things, we do not lay ourselves open and the voice of God will not penetrate into our conscience.

You find this inclination to maintain control in Christians who are very intellectually attuned. In their fear of feelings and experience, the place great emphasis on the written Word. They restrict themselves to an intellectual understanding of Biblical texts. But that is insufficient. When Christians pay more attention to the work of the Spirit, they will allow him to speak to them more directly. When they open themselves up, there will be more room for emotion, special experience, and an intimate perception of the bond with God.

When you seek God in listening prayer, you sidestep intellectual approaches. For when you prepare yourself to meet God, you must set aside your thoughts. The first step is that you do indeed open yourself up. Doing so will mean that the emotional side of your soul can be reached. Contact with God’s presence surpasses our limited thoughts and imaginative powers. It reaches your intuitive, emotional, or subconscious thought in your innermost soul (Leanne Payne). We will only come come to trust this feeling when we are attuned more to our soul than our thoughts. We can experience the direct presence of God and receive his voice only deep within us. Their spiritual reality does not originate from the outside, but from within.

This concludes my description of the various backgrounds. I shall discuss them separately in the third section of this article. In the immediately following section I first examine how the Lord Jesus taught his disciples about his relationship with his Father and with the written Word. Then I discuss what the apostles wrote about it and also the gift of prophecy. After that we shall explore what the New Testament says about ‘praying in the Spirit’.

2. Back to the Sources🔗

Trusting in Jesus🔗

Philip said to Jesus, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us’ (John 14:8)! That longing of Philip’s suggests a longing to receive revelation from God beside and apart from the Word. The Lord Jesus had just indicated that he is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father than through him (John 14:6). But Philip doesn’t think that that is good enough. Apparently he would like a supplementary, a special experience. But in his reply to Philip Jesus says: Don’t you know me Philip? ‘The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work’ (John 14:10).

It is striking how Jesus emphasizes every time that he himself accompanies the words he speaks. For he is the Word (John 1:1). There is indeed a special, direct communication between God the Father and him when he speaks about the words that were given to him (John 17:8). But subsequently it was he himself who gave these words to his disciples. He points to himself as the way to have contact with God. He does not point to a separate way outside of himself and his words by which people can seek a revelation from God.

The connection between the words Jesus spoke himself and those that are written is also striking (Matt 5:17). The Lord Jesus does not merely quote from the law and the prophets who testify of him (John 5:39), he actually lives that testimony, even unto the cross. During his temptation by the devil (after his baptism in the Jordan, when God spoke and the Spirit descended on him) the Lord Jesus appealed to what is written (Matt 4:4-10). Nowhere do we read that he appealed to direct inspirations, let alone that he encourages his disciples to follow that route. When God speaks during the transfiguration on the mountain, he refers the three disciples again to Jesus: ‘Listen to him!’ (Matt 17:5).

Jesus himself is the living Word and his disciples hear the living God speak: ‘For I tell you’. Blessed are those who have heard him directly (Luke 10:24; 11:28). But what is the case now that Jesus is no longer among us? Has his Word fallen silent? Not at all, for he sends his Spirit as Spokesman (John 16:13). He reminds us of what Jesus said. God’s Spirit does not teach something new or in addition. He takes all he hears from Christ, in a very intimate way, and promises to impart it to Christ’s followers. He will also remind them, that is, bring it to their minds, and thereby he will establish contact between God and them. In that way he will guide them into all truth (John 16:13).

Jesus had already revealed much to his disciples, but they still lacked insight. They had not yet made much of what they learnt on their own. You can know something, although it does not really become part of your knowledge base (John 2:22). But the Spirit provides them with personal guidance, so that Jesus’ disciples grow in knowledge of him. Every apostle will acquire a deeper knowledge of Christ in a living relationship with him, through the guidance of the Spirit as his Spokesman. And therefore they will eventually write this knowledge down with apostolic authority.

The Lord Jesus always sought a personal relationship with his Father by withdrawing into a silent place. In that way he instructed his disciples about this hidden relationship. He himself had an unbroken and verbal contact with his Father. But nowhere does he instruct his disciples to seek inspiration independently in prayer apart from the words that he passed on to them. It is remarkable that, in encouraging them to pray, he cautions them not to make a spectacle of it. He tells us to go into a room, close the door, and pray to God in secret (Matt 6:6). That does not at all look like a communal prayer in which each participant seeks a revelation for the others and all look at each other to see what the Spirit has released in them.

The guidance of the apostles🔗

After his resurrection, the Lord Jesus fulfils his promise. The first thing he does is to open the minds of the disciples, so that they understand the Scriptures and realize that everything in the Scriptures is related to Christ and his work (Luke 24:45-47). And then their eyes are opened. Jesus does not say: read the Scriptures and understand them well and then seek direct contact with the Spirit in the expectation that he will give you something in addition.

On the way to Emmaus, the disciples were blind to the appearance of their Master. They were kept from recognizing him (Luke 24:16). The Lord could have identified himself to them immediately, but then they would have been taken by surprise by his appearance. Instead Jesus gradually opened their eyes by opening the Scriptures, one eye opener after another. That is how he makes himself visible! The disciples must not focus on his appearance as a special experience that they should seek again and again. What they should remember is how their hearts were burning within them as the Lord opened the Scriptures to them (Luke 24:32). For in that way they encountered Jesus himself and came into direct contact with his Spirit.

The apostle Peter heard to voice of God during the transfiguration on the mountain (2 Pet 1:18). That must have been an amazing experience! He could have treasured this special experience his whole life long. And he could have encouraged other Christians to listen for God’s own voice in the stillness of prayer. But in his second letter Peter does something totally different. He calls himself an eye witness and points to the prophetic word that is so much more certain. He does not encourage his readers to look for experiences beside or in addition to the written Word, but points them to the light of this prophecy, so that it will rise like the morning star in their hearts (2 Pet 1:19). That will not happen apart from God’s Spirit, but he has promised to kindle that light with his words.

This connects directly to what Peter wrote in his first letter. The Christian readers of this letter came to love Jesus without ever having seen him and without seeing him at that moment (1 Pet 1:8). They do not need to look for that experience either. But the same Spirit of Christ, who spoke about him through the prophets of old, now causes the apostles to proclaim Christ too. And through that proclamation Christians have a living contact with Christ!

Paul also had extraordinary experiences. First, Christ appeared to him. And then he heard his voice (Acts 9:4). But when Paul seeks to connect people to Christ, he teaches them from the Scriptures, right until the end (Acts 28:23). Nowhere do we read that Paul encourages people to seek the same experience he had and to hear Christ’s voice in the stillness of prayer. Paul had yet another extraordinary experience. He was caught up to the third heaven and heard inexpressible things (2 Cor 12:2-4). He could have boasted about this amazing vision or this revelation and encouraged others to see a similar experience. But we look in vain for that in his proclamation of Christ. He only mentioned it because the Corinthians doubted his apostleship (2 Cor 12:11). He is not even allowed to say what he heard. Apparently, this extraordinary experience added nothing to his office. God’s grace in Christ is enough and his power is revealed, not in spectacular events, but in weakness.

Timothy received a spiritual gift through a prophetic message when the elders laid their hands on him (1 Tim 1:18; 4:14). But we are not told that he ever had such special revelations and Paul does not encourage him to seek them. Rather, Paul simply adjures him to continue in what has been entrusted to him (2 Tim 3:14). He does not have to search for a supplementary revelation. The Scriptures themselves are sufficient. You, too, should be satisfied with the Spirit-breathed words of God (2 Tim 3:16, 17). When you let these words of God speak and penetrate your heart, the Spirit will teach, equip, and correct you. Those words give you all you need.

Does this mean that God the Holy Spirit is enclosed in his own Word? Of course not. He is free to go where he will and so he can choose to use special revelation in crucial moments:

  • Acts 8:29: He calls Philip to join the Ethiopian;
  • Acts 9:10-16: He calls Ananias to attend to Saul;
  • Acts 10:13, 19: He directs Peter to go to Cornelius; and
  • Acts 13:2: He directs the church at Antioch to set apart Barnabas and Saul to preach the gospel to the gentiles.

So also, he guided Paul or restrained him at particular moments (Acts 18:9; 22:18). Think for example about Paul’s journey to Europe (Acts 16:6) and the revelation that Paul was going to be imprisoned (Acts 20:23; 21:11). But it is striking that Paul does not seek these separate revelations. The apostles do not summon them either. When they are faced with difficult decisions, they come together and their meetings are sustained by prayer. But there is no suggestion that they pray to actually hear the voice of God. Led by the Spirit, James gives a prophetic insight in a particular situation, by applying an old prophecy of Amos (Acts 15:12-21, 28).

The gift of prophecy🔗

It is true that every Christian can be called upon to speak words as coming from God (1 Pet 4:11). In that sense, every Christian has a prophetic task. The gift of prophecy occupies an important place in the New Testament (1 Cor 14:1-5). This gift is always included in lists of gifts (see, e.g., 1 Cor 12:10).

However, the question is whether the gift of prophecy remains the same as it was in the beginning of the Christian church, when people spoke directly through God’s Spirit. The Scriptures speak of a special office of prophets who, together with the apostles, formed the foundation of the church (Eph 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; Acts 15:32). The prophets illuminated the present, the past, and the future (Acts 11:27; 21:11; Rev 1:3). But at that time the New Testament canon had not yet been established. But the canon was closed with the book of Revelation (Rev 22:10, 18, 19). Since the book of Revelation, no written or oral prophecy of Christians has been publicly recognized as the infallible Word of God. When Christ’s deliverance was fully complete, so too was the revelation.

From the New Testament we get the impression that in the beginning of the Christian church prophets (who may have been witnesses of Jesus’ life and work on earth) traveled round and revealed the Word of God (Acts 6:5, 8; 11:27; 13:1; 15:32).

The appearance of the prophet Agabus is remarkable. Through the Spirit, he announces that Paul will be arrested (Acts 21:11). He illustrates this prophecy vividly by taking Paul’s belt and tying his own hands and feet with it. From this the Christian community at Caesarea concluded that Paul should not go to the Jerusalem (just as the disciples in Tyre had urged him, ‘through the Spirit,’ not to go on to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4). But Paul interprets the prophecy as an announcement of the way of suffering that he had to travel ‘for the name of the Lord Jesus’ (Acts 21:13). Apparently the prophecy could be interpreted in different ways.

It is also apparent from the writings of the apostolic fathers (Didache, Hermas) that the prophets who were active in the first Christian congregations were not always trustworthy. These writings warn about the proliferation of prophecy, since some of it is not truly prophecy, although it presents itself as such. They also teach the Christian church to arm itself against such false prophecies.

Eventually, it seems that there was a transition to congregational prophets, who could hardly be distinguished from teachers and evangelists. They were people who prophesied during divine services and who had received the gift of prophesying (1 Cor 11:3, 4). In 1 Corinthians 14:3 Paul says that these people speak words to strengthen, encourage, and comfort the church. But prophecy can also refute and reveal the secrets of a person’s heart (1 Cor 14:25). An important datum is that people have to accept an apostolic teaching, whereas a prophecy is by definition fallible (1 Cor 14:29; 1 Cor 13:9; 1 Thess 5:19, 20). Not everything is prophecy that identifies itself as such (1 John 4:1; cf. Deut 13:1-3, 18:22). This kind of prophecy is not meant as supplement to the Bible, but gives direction and is a specific application from above. It is only authoritative if it was led by the Spirit and serves the edification of the church. Prophecy has to be tested to see if it conforms to what was previously laid down in God’s Word (Acts 17:11), in proportion to the prophet’s faith (Rom 12:6). Thus, it has to agree with what God has previously said and revealed. And for that Christ’s work in his crucifixion and resurrection is foundational.

Praying in the Spirit🔗

You can find the concept, ‘praying in the Spirit’, in two locations: Ephesians 6:18 and Jude 20. Paul tells the Ephesians not to seek their strength in themselves, but in the Lord (Eph 6:10). For that purpose he gives them an armour that in effect requires them to put on Christ himself, in a living relationship with him (cf. Rom 13:14). He calls the Word of God the sword of the Spirit. It is a defensive weapon to repel the devil’s attacks. They can only use it by praying and imploring God persistently. And that depicts the dependent attitude of the Christian. Prayer in the Spirit does not look for strength in ourselves, but in God, in the knowledge that God the Holy Spirit evokes that prayer in us and then strengthens us.

This reminds us immediately of the prayer of the Holy Spirit, as that is described in Romans 8:26-27. The movement is not from above down to us, in which the Spirit prompts us with words in our prayer. Rather, it is from earth to heaven. God the Spirit teaches us how to pray. He supports our prayer inwardly and ensures that it reaches God in an inexpressible manner. The Spirit teaches us to pray to the Father and to confess that Jesus is Lord. But it is striking that this prayer in the Spirit is characterized by interceding for all the saints (Rom 8:27; Eph 6:18).

In Jude 20 we find a similar setting. Jude emphasizes the tradition of a precious inheritance, our most holy faith. This refers to the proclaimed trustworthiness of faith, for which the apostles laid the foundation by their instruction. Praying in the Spirit does not, therefore, point to a supplementary or more intense revelation. Rather, it underlines our deep dependence on God’s Spirit, who connects us to God himself. Only through him are we strong and do we experience an intensive relationship with God. These texts do not at all give us cause to think about an ecstatic prayer, or of an exalted speaking in the Spirit.

A prayer in the Spirit also speaks of a longing for Christ’s return. Jude 21 connects prayer in the Spirit with waiting for the mercy of Jesus Christ to lead us to eternal life. The Spirit and the bride of Christ also cry out together for Christ to come, driven by a longing for his return (Rev 22:17).

3. Further Consideration🔗

As I consider the relationship with God through listening prayer further, I realize that there are many nuances to this topic. It is not my intention to destroy upbuilding experiences, or to offend Christians. But an evaluation that touches feelings is always tricky. I share the longing for a personal relationship with God and yearn to experience the bond with Christ. But I do ask whether he wants us to seek this way of a hidden relationship with him. I shall speak first about the invitation to the Spirit and then about the relationship between God’s Spirit and his Word. Then I discuss the relationship between understanding and feelings, and finally the vulnerability and limitations of relying on an experience through listing prayer.

Invitation to the Spirit🔗

In listening prayer, the prayer leader invites God the Holy Spirit to come into the midst of the participants. Some leaders actually list a number of steps you should take to contact the Spirit. If you follow them, you will come into special contact with him. The extensive role ascribed to human beings to get God the Holy Spirit to this point is striking. He can only begin to do something once we fully surrender ourselves. But if the Spirit does not come, people can become disheartened and ask themselves: do I trust enough, and do I surrender myself sufficiently? But what is worse is that the invitation can become a demand: when you have followed all the necessary steps, the Spirit must comply! Didn’t the Lord Jesus promise his Spirit to all who pray for him? (Luke 11:13).

The methodical seeking of contact with the Spirit is wrong, because it deprives him of his majesty and freedom. It looks as if he only becomes active when we extend an invitation to him by making contact with him in prayer. But God’s Spirit is not just working when he becomes active in our heart (cf., e.g., Ps 104:30). Nor does he let himself be locked up in our innermost being. And he is most certainly not dependent on people in the steps they undertake to approach him. Rather, the reverse is true. When the Father already knows what we need before we approach him, it is thanks to the Spirit who searches our hearts (Matt 6:8; Rom 8:27).

Besides, we repudiate God’s Spirit when we say that he becomes truly active only after we have read the Bible. We do invite him when we read the Bible together and praise God’s name. But when we give voice to God’s written Word and explain and apply it to our lives, the Spirit is fully present (Is 55:11). People can look far and wide for him, even in heaven (Deut 30:12), but his word is near us, in our mouth and in our heart (Deut 30:14), thanks to God the Holy Spirit (Rom 10:6-8). Moreover, God’s Spirit lives in the church. He does not have to come to us. He dwells in the church of Christ as his temple (Eph 2:22) and in every believer individually (1 Cor. 6:19).

Christ promised the Holy Spirit to all who pray to the Father for him without ceasing (Luke 11:13). Thanks be to God! But that is not the same as inviting the Spirit to our prayer meeting,  so that he will then reveal himself specially. I do not dare to contend that this is impossible, since God’s Spirit has complete freedom of action. But the Lord Jesus did not promise that ‘additional something’. He promised God’s Spirit to stand by us, give us faith, renew us, and occupy our heart for God. Renewal does not take place because we take hold of the Spirit, but because he takes hold of us.

The Spirit of the Word🔗

The Holy Spirit has connected himself strongly to the Word (Acts 1:16). He himself breathed all the Scriptures (2 Tim 3:16). Revelation 19:10 calls the testimony of Jesus  the spirit of prophecy. And Jesus himself has identified him as his Spokesperson, who will take from what belongs to Jesus and make it known (John 16:13-15). Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word the sword of the Spirit, which is given to Christians to repel the attacks of the devil. God’s Spirit himself employs his Word as a sword by which he penetrates to the depth of the soul (Heb 4:12). That connection is so strong that Peter calls it the living Word of God (1 Pet 1:23).

Some Christians have emphasized that the Spirit works through the Word, so that the Holy Spirit binds himself very closely to the Bible. They use the slogan ‘The Word has to do it’ and do not even name the Spirit separately. That suggests that we believe in a book with magical powers and that the Spirit is not necessary to explain its words, apply them, and bind them on our hearts. That is why other Christians have said that the Spirit works with the Word. He employs the Word as a sword. But he is more than the instrument that he uses. Not for nothing is he referred to separately in 1 Thessalonians 5:19. Without his living connection, the words in the Bible remain just words without any effect.

No proof is required for the statement that the Spirit is free to choose other means, but the fact is that he has bound us to his words.

I am thinking of a French girl from the seventeenth century, Isabeau Vincent. She prophesied in her sleep during a time of persecution when congregational life was devastated; when there was a hunger for the Word of God. Normally, she spoke dialect, but when she prophesied, she spoke excellent French. In her sleep, she passed on the sermons she had heard and stored up in her soul. Those who heard them saved them and wrote them down. They are not fanatic ravings, but derived from the Scriptures (cf. J. Kamphuis, In de voetsporen van de hugenoten (Bedem: Woord en Wereld, 2001, pp. 41-42).

In this way God’s Spirit can make use of visions in the Muslim world. An imam gradually became convinced of the truth by reading the gospel of John and became a Christian. But during this process, he also heard a voice that called his name and explained Jesus as God’s Son to him. These special revelations do not lead away from the Word, but clearly to the Word.

In ‘listening prayer’ Biblical words can still play a role when they come to the surface in the spirit. But the connection between Spirit and Word is often diminished. Indeed, sometimes the connection is broken, as beyond the Word becomes disconnected from the Word. Usually the adherents of this practice demand room for a separate revelation of God’s Spirit in line with his Word. In the process, they make a distinction between logos and rèma. Logos supposedly is the objective written Word, but rèma is God speaking directly. You will not find this distinction as such in the Bible. The Greek words do not only derive from the same stem, they are also used as synonyms (1 Pet 1:23, 25; John 15:3, 7).

The danger is that, in practice, the Scriptures become a second source, beside the special revelation that people are looking for.

Here is an illustration of what can happen. Somebody might say: I do not feel myself compelled to study the Bible, for I know Jesus as he has revealed himself in me and because he lives in me I have the Word in me. I do go to the Scriptures and they are important and necessary. But they are not central or crucial, for I possess him, or rather, he possesses me. The Scriptures are only a secondary source. Through baptism by the Holy Spirit, the Word dwells in me and that is fundamental. I say this because of the living experience of what he told me.’ (John F. MacArthur, De charismatische verwarring, p. 78 [Charismatic Chaos]).

When you search for more than the Word, you cannot truly listen to the Lord. It is what happens when you find that listening to God’s voice in his Word is not enough. When you desire more, it is difficult to listen attentively to God. The desired experience is apt to hinder your ability to listen. But he looks for a response with that Word in our heart. Searching for experience often becomes a search for ‘direct revelation’, in which the Bible, perhaps unintentionally, takes second place. Then the Spirit of the Word becomes the Spirit beside the Word. We must not dissociate the Spirit from his Word, nor his Word from the Spirit. The wind (Spirit) blows wherever it pleases (John 3:8), but not at random. God and human beings meet each other around his Word. It is through the Word that he makes himself known and allows us to experience a relationship with him. In it we hear his voice. He speaks through the Scriptures and the Spirit binds us to his Word.

Feelings and understanding🔗

Understanding belongs to the objective Word. Feelings belong to the Spirit who searches for the subject. We saw that when we outlined the background of this topic. People who emphasize the Word are classified as Christians who are more intellectually attuned. They push feelings into the background. In contrast, people who place the work of the Spirit in the foreground emphasize feelings, intuition, living, and experience. You come across this taxonomy often in practice: Word/understanding, versus Spirit/feelings. Or to put it another way: Word/external (doctrine, intellect, understanding, structure, rules), and Spirit/internal (living, heart, feelings, warmth, spontaneity). And you can also add ‘objectivism’ to the first and ‘subjectivism’ to the second.

But this dilemma does not do justice to God the Holy Spirit. He seeks our feelings, but also our understanding. These are not antithetical to each other. He seeks the heart (Acts 16:14), in which our feelings, understanding, and will reside. He addresses the complete person with his words and he wants to penetrate into the depths of our soul with his words (Heb 4:12). He analyzes intentions and thoughts. He seeks the centre of our existence and in the process takes possession of our thoughts (2 Cor 10:5), but also of our feelings. When you let the Scriptures truly penetrate you, you undergo a multitude of experiences. Emotions have their place in a living relationship with God. God’s Spirit causes all kinds of feelings to be released, such as relief, trust, and safety, but also of haughtiness, anger, hubris, and disgust. He releases feelings such as terror, and shame, of regret, fear, and sorrow. But he also evokes feelings of gladness, happiness, and inexpressible joy (1 Pet 1:8).

It is not the fault of the Spirit if we deal with his Word in an intellectual way. We grieve God’s Spirit with every sin we commit (Eph 4:30) and that can happen also if we deal with his Word only in an intellectual way, even though it is not in a detached way. We can even quench the Spirit (1 Thess 5:19). If you read the Word only in an intellectual way, you keep yourself out of range and the Word has no relevance for your life. Feelings must be part of it, but in the sense of our entire human nature, as an experiential reaction to the gospel. That is why the hearts of the disciples of Emmaus burned within them when Jesus opened the Scriptures for them.

If you separate the truth of Scripture from your experiences (scintillating or otherwise), you end up with an arid orthodoxy. When people are not exposed to a living proclamation and are not inspired in their dealings with the Word, they can suddenly be gripped by a passion for experience. Swept away in a spiritual rapture, you may be tempted to place feelings over against intellect. The only thing that is important to you then is that you are being addressed. And then you can easily identify God’s Spirit with your own spiritual experience. Feelings are then the only reality where you find God. But then the relationships that he arranged so carefully are lost. God’s Spirit seeks our heart. He wants his Word to reach you in the depths of your person.

Testing images and inspirations🔗

Many things can happen during ‘listening prayer’. Christians speak about special experiences and encouragements. With sincere intention, they expect much from God’s Spirit. This is keeping with the time in which we live, when people love to be addressed emotionally and yearn for experience. The ability to express one’s emotions has a certain attraction and has great appeal. But what does it ultimately mean for practicing one’s faith? You can’t survive on spiritual experiences.

Christians who have a lot of experience with this form of prayer also know its vulnerability and its dangers. They know also that it can be derailed. And with regard to the latter, when you place yourself above the Word, things can happen that do not originate with God. People readily identify inspiration and intuition with something that the Spirit has said. But something that comes up in a person does not at all have to be from the Spirit. You can easily mistake something that has come up in your inmost being for a leading by the Spirit. And history has taught us that when you open yourself up to other things, you can easily allow erring spirits and demonic powers to enter you (Jessie Penn Lewis and Evan Roberts, War on the Saints). The ‘whispering voice’ is not always trustworthy.

It requires great precision! That becomes apparent when we take note of the list of tests provided by Leanne Payne, who is knowledgeable in the matter:

  • Waiting for God to see if he will let his voice be heard in prayer, should not become coercion.
  • Our listening becomes tainted if we do not at the same time recognize our sins.
  • If there is no unity among Christians, the voice of God will not be heard.
  • You can listen in a wrong way, by hearing what you want to hear (egoistic subjectivism).
  • You may not just declare that the Lord has said something to you, for fear that you may blaspheme his name. Rather, be careful and say that it appears that he wants to say something.
  • It calls for much humility and modesty, because people can boast about their inspirations.
  • You must test everything against God’s Word.
  • In the final analysis, only the ‘spirit of prayer’, that only God can give, can determine whether God speaks, ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This gift bypasses conscious thought and builds on intuitive thought and feeling.

But must that last special gift (which is not to be found in Scripture as such) not also be tested? (Deut 13:1-3; 18:22; Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1; 1 Thess 5:20, 21; Gal 1:8; 2 Pet 3:15-18). Images appear and experiences occur, and people receive inspiration. But who determines whether these are revelations from God? Who judges that? A group of adept and mature Christians? Experience also teaches that testing these experiences has a lot to do with feelings. Experiences confer great authority. What someone has personally experienced is treated as something that can hardly be wrong.

Observe the boundaries🔗

May you identify what came up in your thoughts and feelings with God’s thoughts and feelings? This is an important question (Isa 55:9; Hos 11:9). It is easy to clothe our own ideas and feelings with divine authority. But our spirit and God’s Spirit do not become one. God does not give his feelings to us. Our feelings always remain ours, eternally different from God’s feelings. Let us not blur the boundaries between God and human beings (Eccl 5:1)! God’s nearness can cause our emotions to rise. God touches our emotions and then all kinds of things come to the surface. But let us not say in an unguarded way that this is God and that these emotions are from God. He addresses our emotions from his Word, in order to govern, monitor, correct, and if necessary, to purify them.

Common sense teaches us that the Spirit gives us insight into the circumstances of, and allows us to make intuitive approaches to another person apart from listening prayer. Because Christians are so familiar with his Word and live with an open Bible, it is opened in their lives. Thanks be to God, the gift of prophecy still exists in the world and in the church!

Here is another relevant view: a minister in the Pentecostal movement once said that all those inspirations are after all not so special and could just as easily have been spoken by another Christian in the application portion of a sermon.

4. A Living Relationship🔗

In this last section I shall attempt to give a positive assessment of some of the matters raised above, namely, silence, living in dependency and surrender, and a living relationship with Christ.

Silence🔗

My point is not that there is no room for silence. The suggestion that we need to be silent to let God speak, is indeed valuable (Ps 62:1). That inner rest to let the silence penetrate is often absent. It is vitally important for our relationship with God that we seek that silence and listen to his voice. This is especially important when we read God’s Word, and when we contemplate, reflect on, and get a feeling for what he is saying. For that purpose, we must knock on a text, as it were, until it opens and begins to speak to our heart. And you must accompany all this with prayer in which you seek God and ask him for his guidance, insight and wisdom (Ps 119:18).

We can learn about the silence of meditation from the great leaders in church history.

That silence is there too when you listen together to God’s Word and then contemplate and test what you have read. Psalm 1:2 has this in mind as well, when it says, ‘on his law he meditates day and night’. The silence is also important when you together submit to what he tells you and when you together listen to someone who has been called to explain and apply the Word of God.

Surrender🔗

Whenever the New Testament mentions praying in the Spirit, it is clear that what is central is dependency and surrender. Paying attention to our vulnerability is salutary. A receptive attitude toward God that testifies to our dependency and devotion, is desirable. The longing to progress and grow in it is very Biblical. In that context it is important to realize that your desire to master and control everything needs to be corrected. Even if you don’t follow the practice of ‘listening prayer’, you must still avoid that desire. Surrender and letting go are quite possible when you set your course for what God has said in Scripture, let yourself be led by it, and hold fast to God and not to your own insights and solutions. In addition, your prayer must be directed toward God, not toward yourself. Moreover, you must consider yourself as dependent on God, in the realization that your strength lies in your vulnerability.

I firmly believe that God wants to guide our lives, also when we have to make various decisions. He has promised to help those who read and contemplate his Word and who place all things before him in prayer. He can make a text speak very directly to our heart. But he has not promised any new messages. Instead, God has given us gifts to make decisions: faith, wisdom, insight, and sensitivity to discern what is best (Phil 1:9), all of which must be carried by prayer for guidance. Then you can observe his guidance in your life, but that is something different than calling your own ideas messages from above. The Spirit wants to lead our hearts and ideas, so that we will also bear responsibility for the direction of our lives. He enlightens our understanding, moulds our conscience, and develops feelings in us for God’s way. By opening yourself up for his guidance, you are not made independent, but always follow Christ and are brought into contact with him.

Living relationship🔗

The following texts are particularly apt: ‘I no longer live, but Christ lives in me’ (Gal 2:20); ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly’ (Col 3:16); and its parallel, ‘be filled with the Spirit’ (Eph 5:18).

When the word of Christ dwells in me, it is not in the first place a whispering voice that arises from my inmost being. First and foremost, it is an audible voice that comes to me from outside and asks if it may enter me. That is how he comes in me and demands accommodation for himself. With his Word he exercises influence, so that my life is permeated with him. That is possible only if his words occupy an important place in my life. When I become familiar with his Word, it becomes more and more a part of me, he receives full opportunity to speak to me, and I let him guide me. He is the Lord of the house. He wants lodge with me, live together with me, and share my life. Nothing is too banal for him. He is interested not only in a spiritual part of my existence, as a kind of top floor, but the whole of my environment. He chooses my everyday existence as his dwelling. And because he lives so close to me, in my relationship with him I become more and more aware of what he has given himself for. When you listen to him, slowly but surely you become aware of your shortcomings and debts. And you realize more and more how much he loves you.

In living in such a hidden relationship, Christians can experience that the Lord Jesus comes so close to them that, as it were, a dialogue develops between him and them (Thomas à Kempis). Then you can say that you hear the voice of him whom you meet in the Scriptures and who lets himself be known in this way. Psalm 27:8 says, ‘You have said, “Seek my face”. My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek’ (ESV). Here the heart speaks as your conscience. It echoes God’s voice, that penetrates the heart. But then it is not a voice from your inner being, but the voice of the Spirit that blows toward you from the Scriptures (A. de Reuver).

Awaken the gift of prophecy🔗

Is the gift of prophecy perhaps underdeveloped? For at Pentecost the prophecy of Joel, that young and old men would dream dreams and see visions, was fulfilled (Acts 2:17). Have not all Christians become prophets? (1 John 2:20; 1 Pet 2:9). I shall not explore the phenomenon of prophecy in the Old and New Testaments here. The meaning of prophecy for today is a separate topic. So a few remarks must suffice.

When a reference is made to God’s direct revelation to Samuel, they have to take account of the special circumstances. The Word was rare in Israel in those days (1 Sam 3:1) and so, as he did with Moses, with whom he spoke face to face (Num 16:6-8), God began a separate prophetic course with Samuel. In the Old Testament prophets instructed the people and called them back to a living relationship with God. Similarly, in the New Testament, in addition to the apostles, there are initially prophets who reveal God’s Word. Their task is to use their gift of prophecy and apply God’s revealed truth in particular situations. However, the gift was not infallible, but required further testing (1 Cor 12:10; 1 John 4:1; 1 Thess 5:19-21). In the process the Spirit speaks and continues to do so as he develops exegetical sensitivity to various situations. This does not minimize the Word, but maximizes and applies it. And that can only happen in a living relationship with Christ.

Christians can have a pronounced gift of prophecy (1 Cor 11:4, 5; 13:2; 14:3-5). Think for example of men and women, often very ordinary people, who have been taught by God and know to speak just the right words in situations today. They live so close to God and out of his Word that they have the gift of understanding the time in which they live and to apply his words in a practical way. They know how to proclaim God’s Word in a penetrating way, to understand people, and to give not only liberating points of view, but also trenchant criticism when necessary. They do not speak in generalities, but to the point and their remarks are personalized. When these gifts are hidden, it is high time that they are again brought to light. To that end it is necessary that you make time to get to know the Word thoroughly, so that you are indeed able to apply it. A true prophecy must come out of the Word. The living God still makes himself known.

5. Conclusion🔗

The Spirit is free🔗

‘If it is according to Scripture, you have to make sure that you allow the Spirit room’. I have always remembered this quotation from Hendrik de Cock. We can grieve the Spirit when we deny that he is at liberty to go his own way. That is not at issue here. The Spirit is free to choose other ways into the hearts of people when his Word is rare (1 Sam 3), when there is no room for the gospel, or when he wants to make a new beginning.

God’s Spirit is free to come and go where he will. He is not limited to his Word. He is free, sovereign, and powerful enough to choose other ways. But he has not charged us to seek direct communication with him beside Scripture and certainly not apart from Scripture. Nowhere are we told that we must seek a special revelation, or open ourselves up consciously and methodically for it.

It is grace when Christ dwells in you with his Spirit. It is an amazing thing when his Word influences you. But direct communication will only become possible in the next age. ‘Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face’ (1 Cor 13:12), when God is all and in all and we live completely for him.

Questions for Discussion🔗

  1. Do you yourself, or through others, have experience with listening prayer?
  2. What are Christians looking for in prayer ministry that they can’t find elsewhere? How can we discuss this matter together?
  3. What do you think of the statement, ‘God the Holy Spirit is free to choose other ways, but he has bound us to his Word’? How do we deal with ‘special experiences’?
  4. Do you recognize the gift of prophecy in the church and in your own life?
  5.  How do you overcome the false dilemma Word/understanding and Spirit/feelings?
  6. What is the significance of silence in your relationship with God? Is there enough room in your life for Biblical meditation?

Endnotes🔗

  1. ^ This description derives from a Ministry Course used in the Nederlands Gereformeerde Kerk in Houten. But the phenomenon of prayer ministry it discusses is actually much broader. I discuss the broader phenomenon in this article. In addition to the course material mentioned, I have used the book of Leanne Payne about listening prayer as an important starting point for the discussion..

Bibliography

  • Dussen, A. van der, ‘Over Houten en de Geest’, in Opbouw 46 (2002), pp. 486-88.
  • Floor, L., De gaven van de Heilige Geest(Heerenveen, 1999), pp. 73-92.
  • Hendriks, A.N., Die in de waarheid leidt: Bijdragen over de Heilige Geest en zijn werk (Heerenveen, 2002).
  • Kwakkel, G., ed., Wonderlijk gewoon: Profeten en profetie in het Oude Testament (Barneveld, 2003).
  • MacArthur, John F., Charismatic Chaos (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993).
  • Payne, Leanne,Listening Prayer: Learning to HeaGod’s Voice and Keep a Prayer Journal (Grand Rapids: BakerBooks, 1999).
  • Penn-Lewis, Jessie, and Evan Roberts, War on the Saints, Electronic edition, www.apostacynow.com/wots/. Based on the unabridged 1912 edition.
  • Reus, Tjerk de, ‘Bidden naar Gods wil’, interview with Theo Aerts (Soulsurvivor). in CV/Koers, January 2003, pp. 37-39, www.soulsurvivor.nl, and www.thecall.nl.
  • Vrooland, G., E. Oosterkamp-Fromm, R.J. van Elderen, and R. van Essen, ‘Leanne Payne’, Soteria, No. 2 (2002). Special issue with four articles.
  • Westerkamp, Dick, Ministry-cursus (Houten, February 2002)

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