Above the Noise: What Does the Bible Say About Listening?

Being human is hard. We often live from a storm-tossed place with noise that can feel deafening even when it isn’t audible.

Walking hospital corridors towards the ICU to see my husband; rushing through afternoon traffic to get my son to the urgent care as the hives took over his neck; and getting a frantic call from my firstborn, who had hit bumpers with someone when he fell asleep at the wheel, have rounded out my last couple months. Adding to that, construction in our home as we made improvements only compounded my stress most days.

The sound of social media, the TV, and the world has left my mind swirling. The voices of the Lord, my own physical body, my dearest ones, and those I am called to serve have dwindled to a murmur. 

Listening to the Lord

As I sat before the Lord this morning, Bible open across my lap, pen poised over my journal, a whisper seeped into my heart, Listen.

The Lord whispered over the noise and my spirit caught it. Listen.

But Lord, I am listening to you.

Listen, it came again.

What can you do when the noise in your world deafening, even when it isn't audible? Click To Tweet

As I mused over the last couple months sitting there before Him and took stock of what the new month ahead might hold, I considered His command. Listen.

I had neglected to listen to Him over all the social media council. I had neglected to listen to my own body’s signs of stress that had recently landed me a diagnosis that I had barely let sink in. I had neglected to listen well to the hearts of my dearest loves, offering instead quick council in haste.

What if instead of drowning out His Words with the world, I listened?

What if instead of numbing my symptoms, I listened?

What if instead of being quick to speak, I listened?

What might I find in the listening?

What Does the Bible Say About Listening?

Listening requires being quiet. James offers us the directive to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19). In order to hear, we have to slow our own tongue and thus slow our anger, which for me often comes from false assumptions and failure to have compassion.

I am quick to offer “council” when my sons share about a situation. I am often quick then to anger, drawing conclusions in my mind and heart that don’t even exist. What if instead I was quick to hear, really listening to their words and even more to the heart behind the words? What if, when God’s Word stood out to me, I actually took the time to ponder it, turn it over in my heart, meditate on it rather than breeze by and move on to scroll Instagram? What if I listened with attention to my own body’s needs, getting curious about lack of sleep or ailments that creep up rather than numb them away and press on?

What if, when God’s Word stood out to me, I actually took the time to ponder it, turn it over in my heart, meditate on it rather than breeze by and move on to scroll Instagram? Click To Tweet

I don’t yet know what lies in the listening, but I am seeking to be curious about it enough to clasp my hand over my mouth with ole’ Job (Job 4:4) and listen. Will you join me and see what the listening might reveal in the season ahead?

Your Turn

Are you overwhelmed by all the noise? How has listening for the Lord helped you?