Bringing the Conversation Everywhere

This past week, I was leading a peer support group. God was leading me in active prayer. It’s a unique position of listening to the participants as they share very real, very deep wounds in their lives, while also seeking to move a conversation forward. This particular setting was ‘secular’ in that I wasn’t actively bringing my faith into the conversation, but seeking to be salt and light in the midst of the wounds and conversation.

It is amazing how hard it is to just listen. I constantly have to stop myself thinking about how I would respond, or what ‘sage advice’ (

ha) I might have to offer. There was rich wisdom in stopping, allowing the conversation to flow, and fostering an environment where the participants could ask questions of one another, speak from their own wisdom, and listen.

At the same time as I was trying to quiet my inner voice, God’s voice was speaking ever louder to me. For those 90 minutes, although we weren’t there to speak about faith, I was praying for each of the participants and listening to what God had to say. There were so many words of encouragement that were spoken, and at the end it was clear to me to speak a blessing over the group in opening their hearts and minds to the grief that they were undergoing.

Practice: Active Prayer

What did you learn from your family history this past week? My personal relationship with my family has been severed because of some of those deep wounds, so it is enlightening to see how the generational sins are playing themselves out. It also shines a light into my own flaws, and how the Spirit is working to heal my heart, soul, and family to forge a different future.

This week is a real practice. In the past month, we’ve moved through a lot of emotional foundations: listening, being, resting, and examining. When we’re in a healthy place, we know that we cannot change others. We do, however, know the one who does heal.

We see Jesus practice this in John 4, with the woman at the well. Through listening to the Father and the Spirit, Jesus is able to get to the heart of this woman’s life in a short period of time. He does this without causing any distress, but actually inviting the woman into deeper intimacy. It ends with a total life transformation, and the Gospel’s first evangelist.

This week, intentionally enter into a conversation each day practicing Active Prayer.

This means listening to the individual (or group) you’re engaged with, and inviting God into that conversation. It means asking God a few questions as you converse:

• How are you working in this person’s life?
• How can I show love to this person right now? This week? This month? This year?
• What does this person need to hear from You right now?
• Are there areas of this conversation that you want to shine a light on?
• Are there things I want to say that will get in the way of what you are doing?

This is a culmination of the heart work you’ve already done. When we are emotionally healthy, we can let go of our agenda’s and enter into a space of intimacy with others and with God. We can fully step into that role as the priesthood of all believers, helping those who have no relationship with the Most High experience Him in their everyday lives.

Can’t wait to hear how God is going to speak this week!