Listening As God Would

 

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.  So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.  John 1:19-21

Isn’t it a great discovery when God shows you how much you have grown in the Spirit?  Over this past week, I have had several challenging discussions.  They were often with people I disagreed with, and a few have hurled some very nasty accusations at me.  In that moment, I tried to realize how damaging it would be to travel down a similar path with them.  In one the midst of one conversation, a person was describing a hardship they were experiencing.  I was preparing to answer with a ‘well, if you would have done this’ speech.  However, I paused, and just listened to understand what they were feeling.  I empathized with and prayed for them.  At the end of the conversation, they thanked me for listening and being of comfort to them.  That is not normally me or at least had not been for most of my life.  But somehow, God reminded me what mattered at that moment.  It was to be there for them and not to lecture on what they should have done.

Listening with the heart of God leads to compassion and loving of others.  In reading today’s verses, there were two parts that I focused on.  The first, focusing on quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry, shows the wisdom of God’s word.  Listening is the easy part.  Or so one would be led to believe.  Being slow to speak and/or get angry are at times very challenging, but if you struggle with either or both issues, they are incredible impediments to listening.  If you want to talk more, you are inherently listening less, and if you are upset, it makes it incredibly difficult to focus on what is being said.  It all makes sense.  This is a prime example of what Paul wrote saying, “ I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” (Romans 7:15)  This is the where spiritual growth comes into play.  In remembering those times where we ‘do what we hate,’ we should ask questions. What drove me to that poor outcome?  Anger?  Need to get words in?  Strong opinion?  A bit of self-reflection goes a long way in knowing what prevented listening from occurring.

The second part of the verses I focused on is humbly accepting the word God plants in our hearts.  This is where spiritual growth occurs.  We are to first be humble.  No one likes to admit they are wrong, but humility in this case is the willingness to accept you are not God. As I mentioned last week, we all want control, but we must be willing to accept He is in control.  His cup is greater than ours.  Should we accept that, only then can our hearts be transformed to His heart.  The book of Ezekiel says it best:

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.  Ezekiel 36:26-27

God’s word is perfect.  It not only gives us structure and order but also shows love and compassion.  To go against it leads to strife and challenges.  But should we learn and grow from it, we can be both better and a shining example to others of what a Christ driven life is like.  Today, let us first listen to God’s word and then, be an ear to others showing the same love and patience He has for us.  How can you be a better listener like God is for you?  What impedes your ability to hear others?  My prayer is that the next time someone asks to talk, we remove our own agendas and listen to others as God would.  Amen.