“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (James 1:19).
A tiny sparrow perched on a chair on my front porch, chirped and tweeted before happily flying away. Birds are so busy! They never stay in one place for too long. But this little sparrow called attention to the fact that I was staring out the window again instead of diligently focusing on the task at hand.
Some say sparrows symbolize power, creativity, simplicity and empowerment. Listening yields similar qualities. I heard the sparrow, and turned my head to listen. When we turn our focus to listen to the Truth we hear from God, power, creativity, and empowerment flow into and out of our lives as the vessels of love and purpose we were created to be. The simplicity of a simple sparrow to cause such a flood of thought is proof enough of the power of God to get our attention when it’s to our benefit to focus on Him.
What Does the Bible Say about Listening?
“Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish” (Proverbs 18:13).
The Bible has a lot to say about listening. Listening leads to wisdom and steers us from making foolish decisions which can be avoided by a patient and willing temperament. These attributes don’t come naturally to any of us! We would much rather hear ourselves talk than slow down to listen to one another. John wrote, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). It’s hard to know the truth if we don’t listen to it. Listening is an active digestion of information, trusting the source.
The dictionary definition of listen is “to give attention to with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; to pay attention; heed; obey; wait attentively for a sound.” The old saying, “we were given two ears and one mouth for a reason,” is a pretty undeniable truth! God is not a God of coincidence, and He certainly did give us two ears and two eyes, two nostrils to smell from, several nerve endings and emotions to feel, but one mouth.
The author of Hebrews wrote: “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
Listening accomplishes the truth of this Scripture in our lives! We cannot live at peace if we are not listening. We cannot live a holy life if we don’t first listen to what it means to do so.
Scripture often mentions that God hears the prayers of the righteous. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “In those days when you pray, I will listen” (Jeremiah 29:12).
God not only hears our prayers, but He listens. The Bible says the Holy Spirit is able to translate even the groaning of our heart to the Lord in prayer. Though the way He answers us does not always align with our wishes, He will always answer according to His will for our lives. When we listen to what we read in Scripture, aided by the Holy Spirit in us through Christ Jesus, we are able to digest the Truth of God’s Word as it becomes a driving force of who we are. The apostle Matthew wrote:
“But Jesus told him, ‘No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).
The Bible also speaks of the consequence of not listening. “The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right,” the apostle Peter wrote, “and his ears are open to their prayers. But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). Every parent grieves when their children face painful consequences for something they warned them about beforehand. “Why didn’t you just listen to me,” we cry out. It’s hard to watch someone fall into avoidable trouble and problems at the hand of stubbornness and an unwillingness to listen. We recognize it because we’ve been there. We feel their pain and try to prevent it because we ourselves have failed to listen, and have gone through unnecessary pain because of it.
The Lord wants every ear to hear of Jesus before He returns. He is patiently waiting for us to hear, listen, and love Him and others.
Listening vs. Hearing
“Jesus replied, ‘But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice’” (Luke 11:28).
The difference between listening and hearing is in the application and attention we give to what we hear. I heard the sparrow, but it wasn’t until I turned my attention to it that I noticed it was perched on the chair on my front porch. That’s how I knew it was a sparrow!
The dictionary definition of hear is “to perceive by the ear; to learn by the ear or by being told; to be informed of; to be among the audience.” It’s possible to hear without listening. The difference is obedience.
“Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening” (Acts 16:25).
Paul and Silas were obediently listening to God, praying and singing hymns. In their obedience to listen, others had the opportunity to hear and listen. There is power in praying and worshiping the Lord out loud, not just for those who speak and sing, but for those who hear and listen as a result. Paul wrote to the Philippians:
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8).
Many thoughts enter our minds each day. We have the power to listen to the Truth and filter out the rest. Paul is reminding the recipients of the letter – as the Lord reminds us now – how important it is to choose to listen to the Truth of God. The apostle James wrote, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (James 1:22). When we are truly listening with willing hearts to obey God and seek His will in our lives, listening moves us to action.
The Benefit of Listening
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock” (Matthew 7:24).
No one sets out to build the foundation of their lives on things which will fail them, but the reality is there is only one firm foundation to build life upon: the Truth of God. He loved us so much, He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. And Jesus willingly sacrificed His life for us, and walked out His Father’s will on earth all the way to the cross. The benefit of listening results in salvation. And the Lord is patient, He wants every ear to hear the truth of who Jesus is, and be with Him for eternity in heaven.
More Verses about Listening
Proverbs 19:27
Romans 10:17
Matthew 18:15
Ephesians 5:19
Jeremiah 33:3
Psalm 116:1-2
Philippians 4:9
Psalm 5:3
Proverbs 19:20
Psalm 34:15
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Photo credit: ©Getty Images/littlehenrabi
Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ at megbucher.com. She is the author of “Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ,” “Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity,” “Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise,” “Home, Finding Our Identity in Christ,” and "Sent, Faith in Motion." Meg earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University but stepped out of the business world to stay home and raise her two daughters …which led her to pursue her writing passion. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the editorial team at Salem Web Network. Meg loves being involved in her community and local church, leads Bible study, and serves as a youth leader for teen girls.