Driving down the curvy road with the river to my left and the embankment to my right, I should have paid better attention to my driving. But my mind went elsewhere. As the audio Bible played, the Holy Spirit accentuated the word Listen.
Upon further consideration, it becomes obvious that I listen to:
the radio
the news
the sports announcer
my Google speaker
my pastor, my friends, my audiobooks, my mother
messages left on my iPhone
the rain, the thunder, the sirens
the teakettle
the approach of Amazon
music, podcasts
Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen.
But, the question surfaces: Do I LISTEN to Jesus?
Here is what the Bible says in Luke 10: 38-39.
“As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman maned Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.” (Emphasis mine) She sat at His feet and listened. She listened to That Beautiful Voice.
Considering this familiar word, two observations emerge:
Listening involves hearing.
A particular scenario comes to mind. I walked out of an intense situation feeling differently from the other participants in the discussion; by their assessment, the experience was marvelous. Sitting alone in my car, I asked myself, “If it was so good, why do I still feel so crummy?”
Then it hit me: I felt listened to, but I did not feel heard.
Ponder the correlation between the two. Listening takes in information. Hearing, on the other hand, takes in information and then takes action. Takes in information . . . Takes action. Again, we turn to Scripture for clarity.
“Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, My Chosen One; listen and obey and yield to Him!” (Luke 9:35 Amp, emphasis mine).
2. Listening involves the heart.
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words” (Matthew 11:15 Amp). In reality, we listen with our ears, but we hear with our hearts. So, rather than being like the teenager riding on the subway in the city (or sitting on the couch in our home) let us take the air pods out of our ears and listen—really listen—to Jesus; listen to His Word, listen to His Spirit, listen to His people. Listen to the disenfranchised, the marginalized; listen to the forgotten, the hopeless, the helpless, the homeless. Listen to hear—not everyone, but someone; not everywhere, but somewhere. Listen with hearts engaged to learn, to respond, to repent, to grow, to change, to engage, to stop, to contribute, to care, to pray. Listen to become more like Him and less like ourselves.
What are you listening to today? What are you hearing?
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
Do you recall a recent conversation where you felt listened to but not heard?
On the other hand, do you recall a recent conversation where you felt both listened to and heard?
What made the difference?
Where do you find yourself listening to Jesus but not genuinely hearing? How do you want to respond differently?
Prayer: Oh Lord, give us ears that listen and hearts that hear!
What thoughts do you have to share in the discussion?
