Practice Listening

Have you ever gone out to eat with a friend and felt excited to share things, little life updates like how the kids are doing, highlights from a recent trip, or how the new paint color looks in the den, only to realize that once you sit down, your friend does all the talking? Before long, the meal is over, and you’ve barely said a word. You leave full of food but empty in heart because you didn’t get to share.

Sometimes, to make it worse, while they are rattling on, you find yourself not even listening anymore. You nod politely, but inside your mind you’re thinking of all the things you wish you could say, or you’re replaying what you planned to tell them. You might smile, but your thoughts are everywhere except truly tuned in.

I think that’s what happens sometimes when I pray. I dominate the conversation with God, listing needs, explaining frustrations, and asking for help, but I rarely pause to listen. I never even consider that He might have things He wants to say to me too. And sometimes I wonder if God ever thinks to Himself, “She’s rattling on again and not letting Me get a word in.”

Could listening be as important during prayer time as speaking is? Absolutely. In fact, real conversation with God goes both ways. Prayer is meant to be a relationship, not a monologue.

If we take the time to quiet our hearts, He does speak through Scripture, through a gentle nudge in our spirit, through a song or a verse that comes to mind. His voice might not always be loud, but it is always loving, guiding, and true. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Today, I want to practice the art of listening in my prayers, to stop filling every quiet space with my own words and give God room to speak.