LISTENING FOR THE WORD

1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 14:30-31

“And the Lord came and called as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel replied, ‘Speak, your servant is listening.’”

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”

“A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.”

For years, I have been trying to better engage in the art of active listening. I just don’t hear as well as I should, and it has nothing to do with physical ability. It has to do with focus and empathy, or more precisely, too much of the former and not enough of the latter. An extremely focused multitasker presents a tough combination for anyone to get through to when they want attention. But when even God falls victim to a lack of active listening, that is a very bad thing. It’s not like He hasn’t been there before; Old or New Testament or present day, the world has always been rife with errors made because folks didn’t listen carefully enough, especially to the Spirit. My own failure to hear the instructions of Jesus has left me foundering frequently. But all that proves is we need to try harder to actually hear the Spirit!

Part of the problem with listening for the Word is that we’re not sure what we’re listening for, or even how to hear it. Like a Mom learning to hear her baby in the midst of a loud preschool, we have to tune our ears to Christ’s voice. Then, we have to get used to picking it up out of the noise, and relying on it. Sounds a lot easier than it is, but here are a couple of things I’ve learned in trying to become more attuned to the Spirit.

First, we have to be available. Most of the big things Jesus has communicated to me have come at the awful hour of 4AM or so. I’ve actually tried to discuss this tortuous timing with God, and the reply I consistently get is, “When else are you available and willing to just listen?” Touché. Which brings up the second step: quieting our souls. Quiet souls are often in short supply when it comes to prayer; we have an agenda, a need, and are not inclined to let the Spirit be the first to communicate. We need to remember that, if we enter any conversation “all worked up” and not trusting, effective communication will be much harder, if not impossible.

Next, and here’s a toughie: listen behind the noise. Christ seldom speaks in a loud or demanding voice. “Sighs and groanings too deep for words” are more His purview, because that’s where we most often are spiritually. Plus, he will not offend our free will by interposing His voice over others’ we’d prefer to hear. If we could just cut out the majority of voices and thoughts we attend to in the course of a day, our hearing would stay more acute, and we probably would be more inclined to actually listen to what we do hear.

Finally, experiment. Test the Spirit. If the leading is truly of God, it will prove itself over time. But here’s something more compelling: trying to keep track of when I go against “that still, small voice,” and the results. The score so far is embarrassing. Although I am quite practiced in disobedience – and make no mistake; refusing to follow God’s voice for any reason is still disobedience – not once has it worked out for the best. As in never. As in, I am always wrong. I finally began to tune in to this sad fact about 12 -18 months ago. Believe me, that revelation made obedience a lot easier. It’s also amazing how often God speaks but is simply not heard.

So, long story short, Samuel understood active listening, especially when it concerned the voice of the Spirit. He needed a bit of coaching to start, to be sure. But the results of his eventual lifestyle of availability, calmness, forced focus, and willingness to let God speak led to a lifetime of inspiration. Not a bad return on the effort it takes to stay calm and attentive….