January 9th, 2026
by Cynthia Gandhi Dobbs
by Cynthia Gandhi Dobbs
Day 6 | Conversations Require Listening
A big part of conversation is listening. Some people are naturally great listeners…I am not one of them. Quite often my mind is running a mile a minute as someone is speaking to me. I also have somewhat of a small attention span. So when it comes to listening, I have to deliberately
discipline myself.
When we talk to God in Prayer, usually most of it is one giant rant of petitions. When we are done ranting, we say the customary, “In Jesus name, amen, ” and walk away!
Can you imagine telling your friend to meet you for lunch and then unloading everything on
him/her without giving them a minute to speak? Then after ranting, just saying goodbye abruptly and walking away? Your friend would not stand for it, yet we subject almighty God to the same kind of mistreatment day after day.
We pray not to get what we want in our lives, but to get what God wants in our lives.
To know what God wants in our lives requires listening to Him. The three main ways God speaks to us are: through His written word the Bible, through the Holy Spirit as a still small
voice, and through others who listen to Him.
Maybe you are one of the few who are familiar with listening to God, but if you are not, now is a good time to make your monologues to God a dialogue… a conversation.
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3
Prayer Challenge:
Pray today that God will speak to you through the Bible when you read it. Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal God’s will for your life directly to you. Pray that God will bless you with discernment so you are able to differentiate between His voice and your thoughts.
For the remainder of this 40-day prayer challenge, reserve a few minutes during your 7-minute prayer plan to meditate on God’s word and listen to Him.
discipline myself.
When we talk to God in Prayer, usually most of it is one giant rant of petitions. When we are done ranting, we say the customary, “In Jesus name, amen, ” and walk away!
Can you imagine telling your friend to meet you for lunch and then unloading everything on
him/her without giving them a minute to speak? Then after ranting, just saying goodbye abruptly and walking away? Your friend would not stand for it, yet we subject almighty God to the same kind of mistreatment day after day.
We pray not to get what we want in our lives, but to get what God wants in our lives.
To know what God wants in our lives requires listening to Him. The three main ways God speaks to us are: through His written word the Bible, through the Holy Spirit as a still small
voice, and through others who listen to Him.
Maybe you are one of the few who are familiar with listening to God, but if you are not, now is a good time to make your monologues to God a dialogue… a conversation.
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3
Prayer Challenge:
Pray today that God will speak to you through the Bible when you read it. Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal God’s will for your life directly to you. Pray that God will bless you with discernment so you are able to differentiate between His voice and your thoughts.
For the remainder of this 40-day prayer challenge, reserve a few minutes during your 7-minute prayer plan to meditate on God’s word and listen to Him.
Posted in 21 Days of Prayer of Fasting
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