Hearing vs Listening

If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear. Mark 4:23

Today’s verse can often seem so practical until you dive deeper. I’ve prayed many times for the Lord to give me ears to hear, which is exactly what He’s given all of us. But hearing is quite different than listening. By definition, hearing is an event; it is something that happens to us as a natural process. Listening is an action; it is something we do consciously. You can hear a noise without listening to it (like background music), but you must first hear to be able to listen; listening involves processing, interpreting, and making sense of the auditory information. 

Often when I read the bible, I hear the words, but do I listen to them? Am I searching for the deeper meaning and for the purpose of truly understanding all that God has for me in each passage? After some self-reflection, I realized that I have started to become a surface Christian. I’ve been hearing His word, but not listening to it, or obeying it. I’ve become lax in living in expectation of hearing from God. And I’m missing out on all that God has in store for me.

I’m so grateful that God brought this to my attention. I don’t want to live another day missing opportunities to hear what God has to say to me and missing opportunities to serve Him. I’ve missed Divine Encounters because I wasn’t looking for them, and I’ve missed hearing from God because I wasn’t listening.

That is my heart’s desire for this new year: to truly have ears that hear, a mind that understands, a heart that desires to love God and obey Him. This isn’t a New Year’s resolution or a recommitment, or a promise to try harder. Those things quickly pass away. I want to truly love God by obeying Him. To obey Him, I have to know what He is saying, and that means I need to listen with understanding and intention. I can’t even imagine what God has in store for the year ahead, but I’m excited to see and I’m ready to go wherever He leads. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.