So I was reading Luke 8 for my quiet time and suddenly verse 18 jumped at me. It reads, “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.” And then I began to wonder, how do we hear God?
I took the charge to my local bible study group and we had an interesting discussion. From the context of the study beginning from verse 4, Jesus told the story of a farmer who went to sow seeds and how some fell on foot paths, rocks, thorns, and fertile soil. The seed represents God’s word and the farmer represents whosoever shares the word of God. The different types of heart that hear the word of God are represented by the foot path, rocks, thorns and fertile ground.
So what kind of hearers of God’s word are we? In verse 18 it points out that we should watch out how we hear God’s word so that we can listen and then more truth will be revealed unto us. I guess the operative word is listening which requires an effort from us. If we are keen to listen to God’s word and not just hearing then we are making our hearts fertile soil for the manifestation of his kingdom in our lives. This means that when we listen to God and are careful to obey him then we can bear fruits for him.
What does listening entail? in other words how do we listen to God actively. I believe it is with out heart i.e. the posture of our heart. Do we make time for God at all?, do we read the bible?, do we listen to him in meditation?, do we listen to Godly messages that resonate with our spirit? I know that God is always ready to talk to us and listen to us as well. The bible says in the book of Jeremiah 29:12-14 that In those days (that means the day we listen) when you pray, I will listen and If you look for him wholeheartedly, you will find me. It does not just stop there he follows it up with a blessing as well. Which means God is always ready for us to turn to him. Turning to him means listening to him and when we listen to him, we can hear what he has to say. When we hear God we can do the things he wants us to do and he blesses our obedience.
James 4:8 echoes this as well. It says that if we draw close to God, he in turn will draw close to us. God is always near us, so when we start to hear his voice and do not allow enemy, the devil steal it from us in the form of unbelief which can lead to the loss of our salvation. Or if we fail to listen and develop roots in God and just hear the word then we can fall away when we face temptations. Or if we hear the word but we fail to listen, then we can easily lose the message and significance of the word when we are faced with the cares, riches and pleasures of the word. James emphasizes this in chapter 4:8b the b part is from me?, it says that, we should purify our hearts, because our loyalty is usually divided between God and the world. This means that the world fights us in our hearts for the word of God too.
This is very common for us when we hear God. Most times when we hear God or we think we have heard God, rather that trying to spend time with him to listen and understand him clearly. So that we can use what he tells us to nourish our hearts and bear fruits for him. We tend to have other activities competing with the word and very soon, if we do not find the time to nurture the word. The the enemy of our soul, the devil comes to steal the word. We begin to doubt ourselves and ask, did I really hear God or was it just me? The danger with that is that after a while, we start to question if we even heard him in the first place. And when he speaks to us again, we tend to disregard his voice.
This means listening to God’s word is a discipline we need to cultivate if we are to yield fruits for God. Proverbs 4:20-27 clearly breaks this down for us. It urges us to listen to God by turning our ears to his sayings. It urges us that we should not let the word of God leave our eyes and we should keep them in the center of our hearts. Why you may ask, is God’s word more important than earning a living or seeking the pleasures there are in this life? Verse 22 of Provers 4 says that God’s word is life to those who find it or them and also health to their flesh. So the word of God is not just life but health.
It continues further in verse 23 and urges us to keep our hearts pure for out of it comes the important things of life. So at the end of the day, it is our heart’s posture. When we are determined in our hearts to follow God’s word and his way, we then listen to him and in listening to him, the Holy Spirit helps us to keep our hearts pure so that God’s ways can come from our hearts. Yes the Holy Spirit is our secret sauce who helps us in everything but we also have a part to play to listen to God’s word when the Holy Spirit prompts us.
The remaining verses from 24-27 encourages us on how to keep listening to God. The verses encourages us to refrain from speaking evil and to put bad talk away from ourselves. We are encouraged to look straight ahead and look to God in our journey and to watch the path of our feet, and to turn away from evil. When we are careful to live this way (it is a practice and not a sudden manifestation), then verse 26 says that all our ways will be sure.
Note that it does not say we will have riches and all that but when we set our hearts on the Lord, he does not allow us to lack any good thing. Following God does not mean you will be poor and needy. That is not scriptural. If we go about looking all shabby and unkempt then how is that a testimony? The bible says God supplies all our needs according to his riches in glory. So we have a very wealthy father who does not hesitate to bless us. But he needs for our hearts to be in the right place first. Focused on his kingdom. The bible says in Psalm 84:11 that no good things will he withhold from those that seek him. Let’s make our priority hearing and listening to God’s word and he will always make our paths shine like the noonday sun (Psalm 37:6), Amen.
If you have been hearing God’s voice calling out to you to follow him, please do not turn away. The bible says, now is your day of salvation. Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your voice, but yield to him so that he can make right your path. Simply talk to him and ask him to forgive your sins and ask him to be the Lord of your life. It is that simple, the Holy Spirit will come in and transform your life. God bless you.