Quiet Table Guide: Sep 21-27
Scripture for the week: Ephesians 4:11-13
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
1. Ready Your Heart
Begin with a moment of silence or a short prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit to guide your time together.
2. Read
Slowly read this week’s passage. (Consider reading it out loud or in a different translation each day.)
3. Reflect
As you read the passage again, pay attention to a word, phrase, or image stands out to you. Write it down without commentary.
4. Respond
Slowly read the passage again. Consider how can you allow this word to shape your interactions, decisions, or perspective today.
God’s invitation to me today is:
5. Receive
Read the passage one final time. Spend a few moments in stillness, surrendering your thoughts, plans, and actions to God and resting in the presence of Jesus.
6. Spiritual Practice: Curious Listening
Try on the shared spiritual practice for the week.
As you walk toward greater spiritual and emotional maturity, one of the most powerful things you can do is practice a new way of listening
Most people listen to evaluate:
Is this right or wrong?
Do I agree or disagree with what is being said?
Here’s the problem with that kind of listening:
It assumes that you already know everything necessary to discern what is true
It puts you in the position of judge over your own life—and it can shut down the very transformation God wants to bring
Even the most mature follower of Jesus has blind spots
There are things we don’t know that we don’t know
And the only way to uncover those things is to become a learner again—to ask questions like:
What if this is so?
What might God be trying to show me here?
So this week, I encourage you to try on a practice of Curious Listening
It’s a way of listening:
Not to evaluate, but to discern
Not to defend, but to receive
Not to judge, but to be transformed
Here’s how:
Commit just 5 or 10 minutes each day this week to:
1. Prayerfully review your life
Ask God to bring to mind moments from your past—both joyful and painful—that have formed you
Allow yourself to revisit moments during your first formation—when you were young
Don’t rush
Don’t edit
Don’t dismiss
Just ask for clarity:
God, what did that experience shape in me? What beliefs or behaviors came from it?
2. Name one area where you want to grow
Pray for courage to be honest about a part of your life that needs change—especially in how you relate to God or others
Say it out loud in prayer:
God, I give You permission to reveal what I may not see
Ask the Lord to help you understand the impact of your words, your habits, your posture toward others
3. Reflect on how you listened today
Did any part of this message make you uncomfortable? Defensive? Resistant?
That’s not a problem—it’s an invitation
Ask God:
What might You be saying to me through this discomfort? What would it mean for my life if this is true?
Pray for the grace to embrace this new way of listening—so the Holy Spirit can speak even in areas that are hidden from you right now
Listening is learning
