You Hear Me?

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then why didn't you listen to me?"

Oh, man – we have all been there. Insert a nice big wince after that last sentence. The response is generally without words. It's a shrug coupled with the wide eyes of uncertainty.

Sorry for the heavy intro – yikes! Let's calm back down. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Whew!
Moving on.

Honestly, when thinking about hearing versus listening, that type of exchange was the first thing that came to mind. So, I went with it. I feel strongly that just about every person on earth has had this type of interaction with someone during their lifetime.

Often, we use the words hearing and listening interchangeably.

"I heard that sermon last week and then listened to the new one today."

In that sentence, both words are used to convey the same idea. The person is telling you that they audibly engaged with the two sermons.

Merriam-Webster has similar definitions for the two words, but the idea conveyed in the opening exchange is also seen in the dictionary.

Sidenote: I really enjoy the dictionary – like to the point that I have considered if it would be possible to read through it in a year. I haven't attempted it yet, because I already have a bunch of nerdy tendencies, in case you haven't noticed. Adding a yearly reading of the dictionary to the list might just set a nerdiness standard that even I might struggle to keep up with.

And we're back.

The question I want to pose today is – is hearing enough?
In Christian circles, we state the following phrase, or similar phrases, all the time.

"I want to hear the Lord."

We always seem to communicate that we want to hear the Lord, but should we change our vocabulary?

Instead of wanting to simply hear the Lord, should we long to obey the Lord? Maybe we can change our "I want to hear the Lord" to "I want to take action for the Lord."

What does the Word say?

Romans 10:17 NIV - Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

James 2:17 NIV - In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

I think that spells it out pretty clearly. We need to first hear the Lord because that is how our faith is built. Then, we need to exercise that newfound faith by listening (taking action) to do that which He has spoken.

I don't know about you, but there have been many times I have had an exchange with the Lord that is practically identical to the opening exchange. He spoke, and I heard, but I didn't listen. Then, in His loving kindness, He asks why.

Asking why I chose not to listen is not about condemnation. It is about correction. It's His way of allowing us to contemplate our hesitation or disobedience.

When He opens the door for us to contemplate those decisions not to listen, He gives us the gift of reflection. He is gifting us an opportunity to grow and assess what influences could have contributed to our decision.

Lord, I pray that You would allow us not to be hesitant in the direction you give us. Let us hear and quickly obey. Let us disregard outside, and inside, influences that don't understand the work You are doing. Instead, we ask You to give us peace as the faith You build within us leads us down a path of action. In Jesus' name, Amen!