1.15.23 - Listening with Openness and Expectation (Kenny Camacho)

SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 3, Habakkuk 1 & 2, Isaiah 30:21, & Hebrews 4:12


“It really does matter how you’re listening. Are you willing to try to be more open? Do you respect Him enough to expect Him? Can you nurture the imagination necessary to believe that the God of the Universe really wants to be heard… by you? That’s an enormous thing! It’s an amazing thing! But we can believe it, and we can experience it. We can be still… we can listen… and we can hear.”



REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. How would you explain what it means to be a “good listener”? What skills are involved? What are some of the situations in your life when you have to practice “good listening”? 

  2. What have your experiences been with “listening to God”? Have you heard Him before? In what ways? In what senses? What was the situation? Do you find listening to God easy or hard? Why?

  3. Kenny said that listening to God requires radical openness. What do you think this means? What makes this hard to do? 

  4. He also said that we don’t have to become fully open to God overnight! It’s a gradual process, and it takes a lifetime. What is one thing about your life that you can open up to God about this week? Who can you talk to about what you find?

  5. The second component of “good listening” this week was expectation. When you talk to God, do you expect Him to answer you? Why or why not?

  6. Kenny said that what we expect from God reflects what we respect about God. Who do you believe God is? What is His character like? How can those things (re)shape what you expect when you listen for Him?

  7. Some helpful practices for listening to God include journaling and talking with friends about your prayers/expectations. Do you have these routines in your life? Would you be willing to try and start them this week? 

Kenny Camacho