Be doers of the Word, not merely hearers.
James 1:22
A hearing test this week confirmed my suspicions — I need hearing aids. It’s no surprise, but I’ve been putting it off for a while. I don’t want to admit that I’m getting older and I can’t hear as well as I used to.
But it made me start thinking about “spiritual hearing.” We have a God who speaks to us! Hebrews 1:1 reminds us that in the past, God spoke to the people of Israel through prophets. Now He speaks to us through His own Son, Jesus, who is the Word of God. And He speaks to us through the written word, the Bible. He speaks through the Holy Spirit who is the “still small voice saying, This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).
How do we hear God speaking to us? What is necessary for us to be able to hear God’s voice? If we belong to Him through faith in Jesus and have surrendered our lives to Him, we have the ability to hear Him. John 10:27 tells us: My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. We are His sheep!
In any relationship, it is important to spend time with the person, talking and listening, sharing our thoughts, getting to know each other. So true in our relationship with God! We need to set aside time to be with Him. It helps to find a time and a place where we can be alone, without distractions. He calls us to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). It’s often easier to just do all the talking, telling God about all my needs and the needs of others. But I am learning the importance of asking Him to quiet my heart and mind of all other distractions and help me just to listen. I saw an interesting quote recently: “SILENT AND LISTEN have all the same letters.”
The book Transforming Prayer by Daniel Henderson challenges us to “seek God’s face before we seek His hand” – to focus on God Himself and worship Him for who He is and what He has done before we bring our requests. He reminds us that God already knows everything that is going on in our lives. Starting with worship has changed my prayer life!
Not only are we able to hear God speaking to us, but He hears us when we talk to Him! My women’s Bible study focused on Psalm 40 the last couple of weeks. Verse 1 tells us He “inclines” His ear to us or “turns” to us and hears our cry. The picture that comes to my mind is the Lord actually leaning in close to us, paying attention to us when we’re talking to Him. He’s with us always. Psalm 121:1 promises that our God will never slumber nor sleep. He watches over us at all times.
The book of Revelation repeats many times this phrase: “He who has ears, let him hear.” James 1:22 commands us not just to hear but to obey – to “be doers of the Word, not merely hearers.” I don’t want to be spiritually “hard of hearing.” Instead, I want to have a “heart of hearing.” My prayer is for a heart that is tuned to hear God’s voice. I want to grow more deeply in love with Him and be willing to follow wherever He leads. I want to have a heart that trusts Him for whatever He has planned.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
How is your “spiritual hearing?” Can you hear God calling you to an even deeper love relationship? How will you respond?
Are you listening for God’s voice? What has He said to you today? Are you willing to obey?
Is time alone with God a priority in your life? We can ask God to change our heart to give us that desire.
How could you adjust your schedule to make time with Him a priority?
“Heart of hearing” is such a wonderful phrase and reminder. I love this so much.
Thank you, Sherrilyn. How good to begin to redeem your loss of hearing by honoring God with it and making it an illustration of listening to God. I love that “silent” and “listen” have the same letters. How cool! Yes, I too pray to not be hard of hearing with the Lord but acquire a heart of hearing.