Can you hear me now?

We all know that TV commercial from the past.  How many times have we actually said that to someone while on our cell phones?  I know I have said it.

Sometimes hearing is just a matter of listening.  We can hear things without really listening.  If we are in a crowd of people, we hear everyone talking but we don’t know what each one is saying unless we are actively listening to that one person.  When we talk to our friends, we listen to what they are saying and then respond.  We don’t just sit there silently, thinking of what we want to say - if we did that, we would miss out on what our friend was saying.  I know that there are times when I wish the person I was talking to would get to the point - I don’t have all day to listen to a long story.  I want to hurry them up so that I can get onto other things.  It takes patience to listen.  I know that I want others to have patience with me when I am talking.

Something happens when we listen.  We learn all kinds of things about that person.  (Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”) How can we rejoice with someone if we don’t know what makes them happy?  How can we mourn with someone if we don’t know the sadness they are dealing with?  Becoming a better listener helps us to be better friends.

There is also another person that we need to listen to.  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  But how can we know when He is speaking to us?  The same way we get to know our friends - by taking an interest in them and listening. God speaks to us through His Word.  When we study His Word, we become familiar with the ways of God. 

Think of it like a spouse or other family member.  We know those people so well, we can usually figure out what they will say in certain situations.  We are familiar with their habits and ways of doing things.  We know what foods or movies they like and don’t like. We are in tune with them.

It is the same with God.  When we read His Word, we find out all kinds of things.  We find out that God wants us to love our enemies.  (Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”).   If we think we need to get even with someone, chances are it’s not God giving us that suggestion.  We also find out that God “hates divorce”.  (Malachi 2:16 “For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce”).    If someone tells you that God told them to get divorced, chances are that they weren’t listening to God’s voice.  I think you get the idea.

We can fool ourselves into thinking we hear the Lord.  Sometimes it is our own heart.  Jeremiah 17:9 says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”  That’s why it is real important to get to know the Lord.  Then we can determine when it is God speaking and when it isn’t.  The bottom line is that we have to know His Word in order to know Him.  I want to encourage you to take the time to get to know God a little better than you know Him right now.