Photograph by Wade Morales
In the silence there is a small quiet voice inviting listening with our whole being. In Whitney R. Simpson’s book Holy Listening, she emphasizes that the reality of listening to God is embodied in our breath, our body and the spirit of God. He is the giver of our life and our breath. Much of this content is gathered from her book and my application of its inspiration. While we live in a physical sense we are equally moving in a spiritual world. Profoundly, no life exists without the starting point of breath.
The waterfall above is located in Onomea on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. I lived on this island from 6th-12th grade. Being near this breathtaking area of lush foliage and dense rainforest invites deep breathing while viewing the myriad of colors and listening to the melody of water moving. In the brief glimpse of an Eden like place, God is showing off. All senses explode with the intensity of incoming experience. Feeling fully alive with a sensation of full bodied awareness, this place reminds me of some of the best of my encounters in holy listening.
Listening seems like a natural activity, but often it takes unusual effort and commitment. Man’s first response to being created by God was to breath the life breath that God blew into him. Genesis 2:7 “The Lord God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into his nostrils. The human came to life.”
The invitation to live out the Christian faith is an summons to experience my belief with my whole self. While is sounds unusual to say we should listen with our body as well as our ears, it is the foundation of holy listening. Spiritual formation is the transformation to Christ likeness. Creating space for prayer and silence dominate as two of the most important habits of Christian living. Holy listening is listening for God and for His voice.
Perhaps you can recall a time when you spoke to God either audibly or quietly in your head. A moment of desperation or fear might have prompted a passionate request. Overwhelming beauty might have inspired an utterance of wonder and gratitude. These brief articulations could be considered breath prayers. A purposeful practice of repeating scripture or a promise of God or a praise in rhythm with your breath offers centering and grounding. If I am fearful, I might repeat the Lord’s prayer or an appropriate verse.
Practicing a pattern of breathing and praying creates strengthening. Our spirit and body are deeply connected. Interlacing our responses in the fashion recognizes the whole self. Since God has gifted you and me with a body, linking our breath, our body and our spirit in holy listening invites a divine encounter. Practicing listening leads to peace, calm, strength, understanding and perspective.
Know this…
“The spirit of God has made me and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Job 33:4
Specifically, here are some ideas to direct holy listening:
- Scripture Reading – Read out loud. Read slowly. Read with anticipation. Consider lectio divina or “holy reading” as a daily habit. Christ followers around the world participate in reading God’s Word daily for wisdom, instruction and comfort. Consider the pattern of reading, meditating, reflecting, responding and resting. Be open to connect God’s words with your everyday living. Let it shape you on your spiritual journey. Perhaps read a selected passage or book over and over for a period of time to encourage saturation.
- Yoga offers an invitation to restorative physical practice guiding your mind, body and soul to focused awareness. Start where you are. Be open to meeting God on your mat. Warm up first. Immerse yourself with Christ centered music or instrumental music.
- Breathing – Concentrate on breathing. Inhaling and exhaling through your nose in a slow, rhythmic pace allows more oxygen into your system. Come to this activity in comfortable clothes. Use a mat or just a wood floor. Props such as a strap, a bolster and a blanket offer additional help. Perhaps use breathing while waiting in traffic. Breath with intention when you wake up or lay down to go to sleep to immerse yourself in purposeful breathing. Exhaling with force eliminates toxics and noticeably flushes out tension. Begin or end in a resting angel pose.
- Breath prayers – One of my favorite new practices is breath prayers. Every breath that I inhale and exhale is a gift from God. A breath prayers is one of the easiest activities. A breath prayer is a simple, intimate and repetitive prayer that can be repeated with each inhale and exhale. Prayer becomes linked to your breathing rhythm. I Thessalonians 5: 17 guides us to “pray continually.” Simply pray with each inhale and pray with each exhale. Here are some ideas:
- Inhale: Waiting for you, Lord. Exhale: I will listen and be still.
- Inhale: Lord, you made me wonderful. Exhale: I love the way you made me.
- Inhale: Adonai. Exhale: I am yours.
- Inhale: Sweet Jesus. Exhale: I love you.
- Inhale: Father, forgive me. Exhale: I forgive myself.
- Inhale: Jehovah – Rapha. Exhale: Place your healing hands on me.
- Inhale: O Lord. Exhale: Give me hope for the future.
- Inhale: Fear not, for I (God) am with you. Exhale: I will not fear.
Spiritual formation is for everyone. How your embrace your spiritual life is completely up to you. Formation cannot be formed without discipline, practice and accountability.
Identify a sacred space. Determine a time of day when you will practice holy listening and breath prayers. Growth spiritually does not happen accidentally. Protect your health. Prioritize spiritual development.
Express your longings to God. He desires a relationship with you and me. As a young girl I was entranced as lived with my mother and father who regularly spoke out loud to God for both sizable and small needs. Both consistently gave God credit for answers to prayer or unexpected gifts. Once an ongoing conversation through prayer is a daily practice, it will become easier than first anticipated.
In closing, reflect on these questions:
- Do you practice silence in your everyday?
- Is it easy for you to be still?
- If you were still, what do you think God would say to you?
- When you are caring for your body, do you feel that you are caring for your spirit as well?
- How can you rid yourself of distractions?
- What is creating the noise in your life?
In God’s Word in Ephesians 3: 14-21 Paul’s prays for spiritual growth for those he loves. “ When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
Embracing your everyday is the pathway to living a beautiful, intentional life. May you embrace holy listening as a profound practice in your everyday.
Join the conversation on this topic on this Embrace Your Everyday podcast.
More on Spiritual Living:
Filling My Thoughts With Heavenly Realities
What I Have Learned in Yoga Faith
Who Am I? What is My Identity?
Books on HOME and FAMILY:
Nurturing My Nest: Intentional Homebuilding and Custom Built Education
Hum of the Home: Routines and Rhythms of Homemaking
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