Hearing from God: A 2-Hour Retreat Guide
Hearing from God about the Condition of Your Life Before Him
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23–24
Purpose
This retreat is about hearing from God—about the condition of your life before Him. It is a time of attentive, worshipful listening and surrender, not primarily intercession, productivity, or planning. Come to meet with God as He is, not to get something done.
Allow the Lord to remove any distractions so your soul can be retuned to the heart of Christ.
Scriptural Foundation
- Psalm 139:23–24 — Search me, O God
- Psalm 119:35–36 — Direct me in the path of Your commands
- Matthew 14:23 — He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray
- Psalm 42:2 — My soul thirsts for God
- Deuteronomy 4:29 — Seek Him with all your heart and soul
- Isaiah 40:28 — The Everlasting Creator
- Isaiah 55:6–7 — Seek the Lord while He may be found
- John 14:21 — Whoever has My commands and obeys them loves Me
NOTE: This is simply a guide to help direct your heart and focus to the Lord and His Word. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your time with the Lord. Don’t feel restricted or tied down by this guide.
Slow Down and Listen (30 minutes)
Arrival and Orientation (15 minutes)
- Turn off all digital devices and/or place them away from you.
- Pray this prayer aloud: “Lord, I am here for You. Not to achieve, but to receive. Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
- Read slowly: Psalm 139:23–24 and Psalm 42:1–2.
- Spend the first 15 minutes doing nothing but being still, meditating on these two passages, and listening. Let your mind unwind. Expect distraction. Persist through it!
Journal Prompt: (10 minutes)
Journal as the Lord speaks to you.
- What is the condition of my soul?
- What am I carrying that I need to release?
- Where do I sense distance from God?
- Is there anything I long for more than being in God’s presence?
Confess & Repent: (5 minutes)
- Read 1 John 1:9, Proverbs 28:13, & 2 Chronicles 7:14.
- Confess any sin God has revealed to you.
- Confess and turn from any idols you have placed above the Lord.
- Don’t dwell on where you’ve been or in shame and regret. Receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. Let Him fill your heart with peace as you surrender to Him.
Reflect on God’s Character & Goodness (30 minutes)
Fix Your Eyes on the Lord (15 minutes)
Read the verses below and take some time to reflect on the character of God. Highlight or write down anything that stands out to you about your Heavenly Father and Savior.
- Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8(ESV)
- The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)
- Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)
- This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. John 1:5 (ESV)
- Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. Isaiah 40:28 (ESV)
- Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 (ESV)
- This God—His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. Psalm 18:30 (ESV)
- And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” Isaiah 6:3 (ESV)
- God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it? Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
- “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15 (ESV)
Praise the Lord for who He is! You can write this out in your journal, speak it out loud, and/or sing it! 🙌“Lord, I praise You because You are…” 🙌
Worship the Lord in Awe & Reverence (15 minutes)
- Read Revelation 5 slowly, picturing the scene of the throne room in your mind.
- After you have finished reading, close your eyes and picture yourself before the throne of your King, joining the song in heaven and worshiping Jesus. Worship Him freely!
- Journal anything significant the Lord reveals to you as you practice the presence of God!
Respond (40 minutes)
Submit Yourself to God (10 minutes)
- Read Romans 12:1-2 slowly, meditating on each phrase.
- Journal as the Lord speaks to you:
- Is there an area of my life I haven’t fully surrendered as a living sacrifice to God?
- Is my life holy and acceptable to God?
- How am I being conformed to the ways of this world?
- What Scripture passage will renew my mind and transform me to resist the patterns of this world?
- Where am I out of alignment with God’s perfect, good, and acceptable will?
- Read the words of Jesus in Luke 22:42 (ESV)
- …saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”
- Follow the model of Jesus and pray a similar prayer of surrender for God’s will, not YOUR will, to be done.
Follow God's Instruction (10 minutes)
- Read John 10:27.
- Ask: What changes and adjustments do I need to make in order to obey God’s will?
- Write down anything He reveals to you.
Adjustments to make in my:
- Habits
- Priorities
- Relationships
- Goals
- Time
- Thoughts
Give Thanks! (10 minutes)
- Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
- God’s will is for us to give thanks in all circumstances. Write out a list of ALL you are thankful for in your journal. List as many as you can think of!
Receive God's Love (10 minutes)
- Read Romans 8:31–39.
- Ask: What does this reveal about how God feels toward me?
- Read Isaiah 55:6–7.
- Ask: Where am I resisting mercy? Where am I being invited to return?
“There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.” – Richard Sibbes
Release Worry, Rest In Christ (10 minutes)
- Journal Prompt: What am I anxious and worried about? What steals my peace?
- Read Philippians 4:6–9.
- Pray, submit your requests, and release your concerns to the Lord (with thanksgiving).
- Ask the Lord to guard your heart and mind with His perfect peace that passes understanding.
- Read Matthew 6:19-24 & Matthew 6:33.
- How can you “put your treasure where stuff can’t touch it”?
Commit to Obey (10 minutes)
- Journaling Prompt:
- What truth is God impressing most clearly on me?
- What change or obedience is He calling me to?
- How will I act on what God has shown me? What specific steps do I commit to take in the next few days and weeks?
- Write a “Rule of Life” for the next 30 days to prioritize time in God’s presence:
Practices that nurture my love for God
Rhythms that protect my soul’s rest
Boundaries that guard against hurry and noise
“Father, help me to obey what You’ve shown me. Let this time shape my orientation, not just my inspiration. Lead me in the way everlasting.”
When you Return
This 2-hour retreat likely will not transform you overnight—but it can reorient you. What God begins here must be continued in daily obedience and rhythm.
“We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on His Word spiritual strength for labour in His service.” – Charles Spurgeon
Suggested Rhythms for Practicing the Presence of God:
Walking · Sitting · Resting · Watching · Listening · Reading · Worshiping · Thanking · Repenting · Weeping · Rejoicing · Journaling · Interceding · Singing · Pondering
Quotes:
“Rose early to seek God, and found Him whom my soul loveth. Who would not rise early to meet such company?”
– Robert M’Cheyne
“What could please God more than for us to leave the cares of the world temporarily in order to worship Him in our spirits?”
– Brother Lawrence
“There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech.”
– Charles Spurgeon
Final Benediction:
“Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight.”
— Psalm 119:35
Go in peace—renewed in love, anchored in truth, and attuned to the glory of God in solitude.
Parts of this guide were taken from https://crosspoint.tv/48hr-retreat-guide/