Daily Devotions
Reflective Listening
Reading for May 28th: Nehemiah 10-11
Weekly reading for May 24-30: 1 Corinthians 1-6
For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 2:11
Communication is essential to a good relationship in marriage. The key to healthy communication depends on a willingness to listen. The same is true in our relationship with God. The strength of our relationship depends on communication, and the key to communication with God is our willingness to listen to Him.
Marriage counselors teach couples to practice something called "reflective listening." That's where you repeat back what your spouse says to you. It is a technique that forces you to listen better. Sometimes we assume we know what our mate is going to say before they say it (especially in an argument) so we don't listen. If we have to think about what our spouse is saying carefully (at least enough to repeat back what they've said), then we are truly listening.
Do we ever do this with God? Do we sometimes read the Bible assuming we already know what it says? Do we become passive listeners instead of active listeners? Perhaps a form of "reflective listening" would help us. This could be achieved in a couple of ways.
1. Journaling. This is where we write down brief observations and applications from our study.
2. Prayer. This is where we repeat back to God what he said to us (in his Word) and then ask him to open our understanding to apply it properly in our lives.
Father, help us to be better listeners as we seek to improve the quality of our devotional time.
