Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Mark 1:35 (NLT)

Over the past few weeks I’ve had a handful of encounters with people in which I’ve mainly listened as the person on the other side of the conversation talked, and talked, and talked. Don’t get me wrong; It wasn’t a big deal. In each case, I understood that the person needed to get something out, and I was generally happy to listen. It was not, however, a conversation. It was a running monologue.

Healthy relationships required a steady stream of two-party communication. Both sides of the relationship must actively listen and actively speak. When the dialogue is skewed towards either person, the relationship begins to strain.

It is no different in our relationship with God. It requires an on-going conversation. Reading God’s Message to us is actively listening to what God has to say to us. Prayer is how we actively communicate to God. When either is lacking, our spiritual health strains.