How Do You Hear?

I have a problem at times with listening to people because I am thinking about what I want to say to them.  Listening to people is, to me a gift; I mean really taking the time to listen.  Many times we can misunderstand people because we just don’t take the time to listen to the person talking since many times we think that what we have to say is more important than what others have to say, or we want the attention the other person is getting.  There are times when we block out what people are saying purposely because we don’t want to hear what they have to say.  

What all of us need to understand is that God chooses to use people, and He may speak to someone the very words that we need to hear, but if we don’t take the time to listen we will miss out on what the Lord is trying to tell us.  We call that ‘selective hearing.’  How many times have you talked to someone and they keep repeating what, what, over and over again? Many times they hear but they are so preoccupied with what they are thinking about, or what they may be watching at the time, that they aren’t paying attention to what you are saying; it is not that they didn’t hear you, no; you just didn’t get their attention.

This happens in marriages and relationships far too often and causes many problems in these situations.   Selective hearing is not always a good thing because far too often people miss out on what they need to hear, hearing instead what they want to hear.  Think about God’s Word, for instance, there are people that are selective hearers, hearing only what they want to hear missing out on what they need to hear; the very things that would change their lives if they listened and put that Word into practice.  Many times people are deceived because of their selective hearing.  Young people seem to be notorious for this kind of hearing problem, but I think we all have the problem at times.

The Word of God has some things to say about this subject and one of them is this, it is in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”   There are many, many people that have heard the salvation message and have rejected it because they didn’t want to receive what they heard and not because they weren’t told, somewhat like the Israelites back in Jesus’ days when He walked the earth.

The Word goes on to say this in the same chapter in verses 18-21:

“But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:

“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,

And their words to the ends of the world.”

But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:

“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,

I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”

But Isaiah is very bold and says:

“I was found by those who did not seek Me;

I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

But to Israel he says:

“All day long I have stretched out My hands

To a disobedient and contrary people.”

There is more about this subject as Paul was instructing Timothy about his preaching and what would take place in 2 Timothy 4:1-5, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Having ‘itching ears’ means listening to only what they want to hear.  This can be disastrous, so be careful that you won’t be deceived by listening to good sounding words that are not the truth.  Be careful to listen to what you need to hear and not only what you want to hear, then act on what you hear.  Don’t make the mistake that the Israelites made by not being obedient to what they heard.  May the Lord bless you and keep you, may He shine His face upon you and give you peace.  Have a great day!!