Three ways to know that God is talking to us in prayer:
- Consolation — a sense of the present and goodness of God; light from the Holy Spirit, insights about ourselves and truths about our faith
- Gifts of the Holy Spirit — Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord, Fortitude, Counsel; We don’t always feel them, but when we pray, the Holy Spirit increases those gifts.
- Inspiriation — e.g., the inspiration to forgive someone or seek forgiveness.
God is always listening. Anytime we raise our heart and mind to God, He will hear us and he will respond. We may not always feel it, but we must recall that prayer takes place in the arena of faith, therefore:
“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will act” — Psalm 37:5
Biltrix 
Reblogged this on jillybean2 and commented:
If you have ever heard God through intercessory prayer you have experienced these ways these men explain God speaks to us.
Thanks for the reblog, Jilly Bean!
Pingback: 3 Ways to Know That God Is Talking to You in Prayer | theraineyview
Reblogged this on 1catholicsalmon and commented:
This post is another message to me to carry on with my quest to feel Jesus when in prayer. Thank you BILTRIX!
I am reading this book, The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer by Fr. John Bartunek.
http://www.catholicword.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=2&idcategory=0is a
I found it on this blog http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/ What a fantastic buy! It has opened my heart and mind to being close to the Lord through daily meditation. I’ve been thirsting for this information for so long, this book has done it for me. I bought the Kindle edition, but I’d like to recommend that if you are interested in it buy the hard copy. It’s a book to have and to hold. I can’t wait for my copy to arrive.
The Better Part equips Christians with the resources they need to, “set of into the deep” to enter into a personal, intimate conversation with Christ. Father Bartunek Begins his book with a short prayer primer, an exposition of the basics of Christian prayer that is worth the price of the book by itself. The rest of the book contains guided meditations on the Gospels with a liberal sprinkling of quotes from the Doctors and Fathers of the Church. The book contains the entire text off all four Gospels taken from the Jerusalem Bible (an excellent and very approachable translation). Each unit is meant as a stepping off point. While reading and reflecting on each unit would be of great benefit to anyone, using them as a starting point for your own conversation with Christ is the ultimate goal.
Hi there Biltrix, I reblogged your post before watching the video, and THEN I watched the video clip on my blog. The title is from the book I recommend! So the link is clear. Have you been reading this book also?
Hi Catholic Salmon! Yes, and as you say it is a great book to have on hand. I makes daily spiritual reading and meditation something to look forward to each morning.
Thank you for the reblog and God bless you!
Great!
Thanks for a lovely post–which brought my own embarrassing insight to my mind: I have rarely experienced these things. Is it because God is not listening to me? Well, probably it is because I am the one not listening.
Thanks for your comment, Reinkat.
Difficulty in prayer is a very common experience. I did not really have any experience like this myself, until I did a month of spiritual exercises. That was a little over a year ago. I’m not saying that everyone has to do a month of spiritual exercises to have the experience of consolation, illumination, and inspiration, in prayer, but that these things do not come easy for most of us.
We can still be listening and not hear, until we are in an appropriate environment where we can listen and until we learn to listen. Still, if we ask, we will receive; if we seek, we will find; if we knock, the door will be opened.