Day 17
Pray That You Both Will Listen...and
Well
In almost every
book you will find on marriage and relationships, communication is the one
thing that is always discussed. The most critical part of that is listening.
James 1:19 (NIV) says “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” To
be more specific, there are different kinds of listening. There is the kind
where we are distracted and hear what is being said, but we’re not actually
giving our full attention to the speaker. Then, there is listening to form a
rebuttal or reply to the speaker. The kind I am talking about is what is called
“active” listening.
It takes a certain
amount of humility to truly listen to another person. Active listening is where
you make yourself a blank piece of paper that the speaker can write on,
uninterrupted. You might ask a quick question to validate what is being said,
but you are focusing your attention on the speaker in a deliberate effort to
understand. You verify by repeating what was conveyed in your own words, i.e.,
“So if I understand you correctly, you said…” Doing this makes the speaker feel
heard, and their words appreciated. If you did it right, they acknowledge that
you received their words and heard them correctly. This is the kind of
communication that all couples sorely need. Will you try this type of
listening? Will you try it today on your future spouse, family, friends, or a
co-worker? Kindly say this prayer:
“Dear Heavenly
Father, I pray that you help my future spouse and me to be the kind of partners
that are humble enough to listen to each other. Help us to learn and master the
skill of listening that we may better understand and abundantly grow together.
Anoint our ears to hear each other, the voice of the Holy Spirit as he guides
us into all truth (John 16:13) and our hearts to receive. In Jesus’ name, I
pray. Amen.”
If you enjoyed this post, the book can be found here. There is also an audiobook version as well.
-John
