Take Care How You Listen

By Joanna K. Harris
Joanna Harris is an author and blogger with a tremendous passion for God.  You can contact Joanna here.  For more on Joanna and her ministry, check out her website here.  There you can also find links to her other blogs.
 

Will you try something with me? For the next five seconds, close your eyes and just listen.

Ok, what did you hear? Did you last for 5 whole seconds?

I heard the music on the radio, the fridge humming, and a chorus of noisy birds outside. I also found it hard to sit still and listen for 5 seconds. It’s sad, really.

Today we have more information available than ever before, yet somehow listening seems to be harder than ever before. I find myself too often trying to multi-task when listening to a sermon online or even while talking with friends. Instead of focusing on listening, I get distracted by other tasks or thoughts.

And yet, one of the things I value most highly in my relationships is when the other person truly listens to me. When they not only hear my words, but also hear my heart. That requires skill. It requires intentionality. It requires discipline.

God has been showing me that listening is a vital spiritual discipline.

We know there is no intimacy in relationships without listening. Both parties must talk and must truly listen in order to communicate effectively. This is true in our relationships with people and in our relationship with God.

Jesus said,

Consider carefully what you hear…. –Mark 4:24

Therefore consider carefully how you listen. –Luke 8:18a

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. –Revelation 3:6

God values listening.

Listening is a skill that takes resolve and practice. No one becomes a good listener by accident.

If you’re like me, you probably find it easier to listen to other people than to listen to God. How can we listen to someone who doesn’t (usually) speak with an audible voice?

Thankfully we have God’s Word, His written messages to us. When reading God’s Word, we can “hear” Him speak to us. We also have the Holy Spirit living in us. He often “speaks” to us in intangible ways that we can’t explain.

The more familiar we are with God’s Word, the easier it will be for us to know when God is speaking to our hearts. But I think being a good listener also requires stillness and surrender. Even if we know God’s Word well, if we never stop to be quiet, we may miss what He’s trying to say to us. And if our hearts aren’t surrendered to God’s will, we may not hear because we don’t want to hear certain things.

So let’s take an inventory –

When was the last time you honestly evaluated your listening skills?

When you ask God for wisdom or direction, do you take time to be still and listen for the answer?

How often do you simply sit quietly and say “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam. 3:9-10)?

I know my listening skills need improvement. And I’ve learned that I have to be intentional about listening to God. I have to schedule time to sit quietly, to surrender my will to God’s, and then to be still and wait and see what He will say to me. I can tell you that the times when I practice this, I’m amazed at what God speaks to me! It’s usually nothing like I expected to hear, but always so very precious.

I truly desire deeper intimacy in my friendships and in my relationship with God. I want to work at listening well, and I pray God will make me a better listener. When I’m listening to a sermon, I often pray He’ll anoint my ears to hear what I need to hear. When conversing with a friend, I ask the Holy Spirit to help me focus and truly hear them. When I need counsel, I pray God will help me humbly listen to wise people.

I believe that the discipline of listening can impact every area of our lives.

It astounds me that the Creator God of the universe actually listens to me! I know it’s not because of who I am but who He is. Listening is a natural quality of His divine character. Since listening does not come naturally for me, I look to God and pray He will keep working in me, empowering me to take care how I listen.

Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. –Proverbs 23:19

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