by Cathy Baker | Prayer |
Let’s welcome Crickett Keeth back to Creative Pauses from The Tiny House on the Hill!
How would you describe your time in prayer? Do you do most of the talking, or do you pause to listen?
When we hear the words pray or prayer, we tend to think of speaking, not listening. When we pray, we talk to God, asking for things and expressing our feelings about what’s going on in life.
But prayer isn’t to be one-sided. Yes, we talk to God and make our requests known, but we also need to take time to listen to His response. I don’t mean we sit and wait for a small (or booming) voice to whisper words to us. In all my years as a Christian, I have never heard God speak to me in an audible voice. But we can listen to God in other ways.
We pray by listening as we read God’s Word.
While you’re reading and studying the Bible, ask God to give you wisdom and guidance. Listen to what He’s saying through His Word. If something stands out to you, pray about it as the Holy Spirit prompts you.
Recently, I was reading Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (NASB95).” As I listened to God’s Word, He convicted me. I stopped reading and began to pray: “Lord, Your Word tells me I shouldn’t be anxious about anything. But, to be honest, I am anxious about a lot of things today—my future, this decision that’s looming over me, the situation in our country, deadlines I have to meet. . . Lord, I confess I’m worried. But how do I stop being anxious?”
The second half of the verse answered that question. “But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” He was instructing me through His Word how to deal with my anxious thoughts. I listened to His Word and began to pray. I wrote down everything I was anxious about and began to pray about each area, thanking God He had it under control. He gave me peace that I could trust Him to take care of my needs and the things I was worried about.
Praying by listening doesn’t mean we sit in silence and wait to hear God speak audibly or through random thoughts. We listen to His Word and begin praying His Word back to Him as it guides, convicts, and strengthens us.
Take a verse this week and practice praying by listening to His Word.
We pray by listening as we journal.
I love to journal and write down my thoughts and prayers. What am I struggling with? What am I thankful for? What is going on in my life today? God guides me on how to pray as I journal, and I often write out my prayers.
Journaling helps me listen to God in several ways. It gives clarity about situations. It helps me verbalize what I’m thinking and feeling by putting it down on paper. Writing out my prayers helps me think through what I’m praying about. As I write, God brings things to mind and helps me process thoughts and situations. When I journal, I’m listening to God and praying as I write.
Take some time this week to journal your thoughts. What’s going on in your life? What are your needs? How do you view God in this season? Write out a prayer.
We pray by listening as we worship through music.
Worship music (hymns and contemporary) encourages me and challenges me. I love to listen to worship music as I drive to and from work each day. It prepares my heart for what’s ahead and helps me process the day on the way home. There are times I push pause on the music and start praying because of something I’ve heard in the song. Sometimes, it’s a phrase that has convicted me, and I want to confess sin right then. Other times, the words move me to pray about a situation. As I listen and sing along, the words and music lead me to worship and meditate on His attributes.
This week listen to worship music in the car or at home. Listen to the lyrics and see how God speaks to you through them. How does He use the words to move you to prayer?
What would you add to this list to help you pray by listening?
(I first wrote this material for an article for MTL magazine.) If you want to deepen your prayer life, check out my Bible study On Bended Knee: Praying Like Prophets, Warriors, and Kings.
Thank you, Crickett!
Crickett Keeth is the Women’s Ministry Director at First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where she writes and teaches women’s Bible studies. She is the author of The Gift of Rest, Sumatra with the Seven Churches (co-authored with Sandra Glahn), and her newly released study from Moody, On Bended Knee. Crickett was on staff with Cru for ten years and is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. In addition to teaching regularly at her own church, she also speaks at women’s conferences and retreats. Learn more at crickettkeeth.com.
by Cathy Baker | Book Reviews |
You know how it feels to meet someone for the first time but instead of the awkward pause, you settle in quickly, like they’re a long lost friend?
Crickett Keeth is one of those people for me. We first “met” on the Facebook Blue Ridge Bible Study Writers page several years ago. From the get-go, I think we both knew we’d discovered a peep for life. We’ve prayed for each other and cheered one another on with all the sis-boom-bah we could muster.
Here’s one thing I know: when Crickett says she’s praying for me, she is⏤there’s no well intentioned fluff here. She’s on the battle lines for women around the world, those in her church, and the participants of her NEW release, “On Bended Knee: Praying Like Prophets, Warriors, and Kings” by Moody Publishers. Notice I didn’t say, readers. In this 8-week study, participants are encouraged to engage with the Word and the questions along the way. The goal isn’t to form a perfect answer, but to allow God to use those questions to probe our hearts and deepen our prayer life.
So without further ado, it’s an honor to introduce you to Crickett.
Welcome, Crickett! So tell us, how did you get started writing Bible studies?
I led a small group when I lived in Dallas, and we used a number of popular Bible studies on the market. I would add questions to help facilitate discussion and get them to think deeper about the passage. One summer, they challenged me to write our next Bible study. As I prayed about it, I felt God was leading me to say yes. So, I wrote that first Bible study on the characters in Hebrews 11 found in the Book of Genesis. I loved writing it and knew I wanted to continue. And twenty years later, I’m still writing Bible studies!
Why did you choose to write a study on prayer?
I actually wrote this Bible study several years ago for the Women’s Ministry at my church. At that time, my life was out-of-control busy, and my time with the Lord was becoming more of a ritual than a relationship. Yes, I still had quiet times, and I was praying. But I felt like my prayers were rushed and missing something. I was just going through the motions, but not enjoying that intimate time alone with God in prayer. So, I cried out to God one day, asking Him to change my prayer life and bring me back to that sweet intimacy with Him through prayer that I had previously experienced. He led me to begin looking at prayers in the Bible, and that’s how this study was born.
Can you tell us a little more about the study and what we can expect?
On Bended Knee is an eight-week study looking at the prayers of eight men and women in the Bible. Each week is divided into five days, and each day has four parts. Looking to God’s Word directs us to the Scripture for that day, guiding us through observation and interpretation questions. Looking Upward challenges us to wrestle with thought-provoking questions and promotes rich group discussion. Looking Deeper encourages us to look at additional passages that will deepen our study. Looking Reflectively focuses on application and reflection of the lesson.
I don’t give a lot of commentary before and after each question because I want to guide you into discovering what God’s Word is saying instead of telling you the answers. I don’t want it to feel like you’re reading a book, but that you’re digging deeper into God’s Word as I guide you. However, some of the questions are challenging and make us wrestle with the answers. So, there is a Leaders’ Guide at the back of the book to walk you through those more challenging questions.
Which prayers do you highlight, and why did you choose those prayers?
We look at the prayers of Jesus, Paul, Job, Hannah, David, Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Nehemiah. I chose the prayers that I continually go to in my life situations—prayers that have helped me when I couldn’t express what was in my heart. There are many more prayers in the Bible we could have studied, and I wish I could have written on all of them. Maybe that will be a Part 2.
As I “listened in” on the prayers of these men and women, I wanted to look at the heart behind the prayer. What motivated them to pray? How did they approach God? How did God answer? How did their relationship with God deepen as a result of their prayers?
Who is this study for, and how will it impact their lives?
On Bended Knee is for anyone who wants to go deeper in their relationship with God through prayer. If you’re dissatisfied with your prayer life, wanting to be more consistent in prayer, or looking to deepen your intimacy with God, then this Bible study was written for you.
Where can we find this study?
It’s available now on Amazon, Moody, Barnes and Noble, and Christianbook.com
Crickett Keeth is the Women’s Ministry Director at First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where she writes and teaches the women’s Bible studies. She is the author of The Gift of Rest, Sumatra with the Seven Churches (co-authored with Sandra Glahn), and her newly released study from Moody, On Bended Knee. Crickett was on staff with Cru for ten years and is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. In addition to teaching regularly at her own church, she also speaks at women’s conferences and retreats. Learn more at www.crickettkeeth.com.
Thank you, Crickett, for taking time for this interview, and for offering a free copy of this much-needed study to one blessed reader of mine.
Before you go, is there some way Crickett and I can pray for you today? Share your request in the comment section, or email me privately using the icon in the sidebar, if you like.
To enter the giveaway, share who you’ve recently met that feels more like a long lost friend.
