LISTENING & HEARING

My sister, Maddie, suggested that I write a blog post on the chapter she just read in her devotional book. I took a look at it, and realized she was completely right [ for once. ;) ] The message is super powerful and relevant to our generation today and I hope that it speaks to you clearly and loudly!

That being said, a lot of my information is going to be from that devotional, which is called, The Blue Book, A Devotional Guide For Every Season of Your Life, by Jim Branch.

I, however, have not read the whole book, but I do strongly agree with what Jim Branch said in this chapter called “Listening to God.” 

Buckle up, you're in for a good one… :)

“For it is in listening, and then in hearing, that we find life” (Branch 77). 

Listening- Paying attention to what somebody is saying.

Hearing- Understanding what the person’s words mean. 

After reading this quote from the devo, I had to think a little bit about the difference between listening and hearing; this was my interpretation of the meanings. 

Sometimes I feel as if we only listen to God. We read the Bible and it goes in one ear and out the other. “But, I did my reading for the day!” We try to justify. 

Instead of trying to understand and truly hear what the Lord is saying, we just go through the motions and check the box that we spent time in His Word. Here is the issue with that: “we find life,” in listening and hearing from God. We can not expect to reap what we sow if we do not fully commit to listening to what God has to say to us. 

In other words, we will not get the most out of life, if we are not intentional with how we approach our Heavenly Father.

“You have to be intentional. You won't just find room, you have to make room...if you are not intentional there will be no room, and thus, no peace” (Branch 81). The “room” that Jim Branch is talking about is “room to breath,” “room to reflect,” “room to pray,” “room to pay attention,” “room to be with Jesus,” “room to sit at His feet and to listen to what He says.” 

We allow distractions, circumstances, and worries dominate our hearts. You might even be doing that right now…are you reading this with the TV on? Or are you just scanning it instead of trying to digest the words? Maybe you’re glancing over it, but also worrying about what you have to do next. I’m not saying this blog is your “quiet time,” or that it’s going to change your life, but I am saying that Jim Branch is super wise, and you could actually hear and get something out of this post if you are intentional with it. 

“I start to feel like life is living me, rather than like I am living life” (Branch 81). 

I want to be completely honest in my writing, I struggle with truly listening and being intentional with my time. Occasionally, when I am going through the motions and checking the box, I start to feel like “life is living me.” It is easier to get stressed out, I feel more tense and angry, and I begin to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. Nevertheless, right when I realize I haven’t been sitting at Jesus’ feet and trying to actually listen and hear what He is telling me, I recognize why I’ve been feeling all of those icky emotions. 

Aren’t you tired of being worn down by life?

Make room.

“And as soon as I began making more room in my day to sit and listen to the One who calls me his beloved, perspective began to return, frustration began to fade, and life began to come back into my soul once again-driving out fear, the anxiety, the insecurity, and the frustration. My circumstances had not changed, but I had. I had room again to hear his voice. Thanks be to God! Pray that it stays that way” (Branch 82). 

Branch also stated two reasons why we don’t listen as often and as well as we should... 

“Maybe it's because we are afraid that if we really try to listen to God, he will not say anything, which will lead us to doubt, hopelessness, and despair. Or maybe we are afraid that he will say something, but not the something we were hoping to hear” (Branch 77). 

Listening to God does take surrender, trust and fearlessness, because when we really want to commit to His ways, we are going to be taken to uncomfortable places. However, how can we ever truly know the Lord, if we aren’t fully relying on what He has to say? 

I encourage you today to not only make room to spend time with Jesus, but to completely surrender that time over to Him. “You must ask God for a listening heart” (Branch 79). Let Him speak to you. For some of y’all, that might seem absolutely crazy. “God speaks?!?”

OHHHHH YAAAAA, GOD SPEAKS. 

Roman 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” 

“When we pay attention, our awareness is sharpened. Then we hear God speak, predictably in sacred settings, but also in wildly unlikely places and circumstances: the subway, the shower, and the messy garage. After all, the Holy Spirit is blowing over us all the time” (Branch 80). God speaks through the Bible. God speaks through a friend, or even a stranger. God speaks through a blog, or a book. Trust me, God is talking, we just have to be willing to truly listen. 

With all my love, Delaney Dilfer :)