Hearing vs. Listening (Daily Refresh, 9-27)
Throughout the pages of Scripture, there’s a word that gets repeated: “hear,” or a related word, “listen.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word “Shema” translates into English as “hear” or “listen” and is often used to emphasize the act of listening, understanding, and obeying.
Today’s culture places value on doing many things at once; we often try to listen while focusing on other tasks, which divides our focus. The sound of someone’s voice might come into our ears, but if we’re also scrolling social media, doing schoolwork, or making a meal, we might not fully understand their words.
But in the biblical context, “hearing” does not simply include sound reception; it also involves active obedience and an effort to understand.
In Mark 4:9, Jesus invites us to listen—to hear and obey, encouraging us to pay careful attention to His words: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Jesus isn’t just asking us to audibly hear His words and carry on with our personal agenda; He’s urging us to actively listen and obey, to live by His truth. Listening and obeying are what build our faith in Jesus Christ. Hearing the Word of God should lead to a transformed life marked by fruitfulness.
As you reflect on the idea of listening in Scripture, consider your heart and spiritual receptivity. Are you attentive to God’s Word, allowing it to transform your life, or is your hearing divided, causing you to resist His call?
My Thoughts
I particularly like the last line that refers to “divided hearing.” We are so used to multi-tasking that we habitually try to do it all the time, even when we should be actively listening. Sometimes (a lot of the time, actually), my husband will be talking to me and I will be reading a book or writing a note. I hear what he says, at least the words, but my mind doesn’t comprehend enough to respond. He ends up having to repeat himself once I actively turn to him and focus on what he is saying. That is what God wants us to do all the time when He is speaking to us. He wants us to focus so that we can listen to Him completely and then obey what He is telling us that we should be doing. Our double-minded halfway listening doesn’t work with people right in front of us and it doesn’t work with God either, especially if we are trying to be more like Him.
