Research reveals that we are exposed to 5,000 to 20,000 advertisements a day! It’s easy to see that we are inundated with things demanding our attention. To survive, we have perfected the ability to not hear, to tune out the chaos. But that tuning out comes at a high cost to us, personally, and to our relationships with others and with God.
Stop and think about your interactions with individuals in your life. Have you ever acted like you heard your significant other, but internally you were thinking about anything but what they were saying? Have you ever pretended to hear your friend or co-worker as they were spilling out their life’s problems to you while you were really multitasking on your phone or computer?
The reality is that we must do more than simply hear. We need to listen. In Revelation 12:10, Jesus makes the statement, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen.” There is a huge difference between the two! To “hear” is just to register noise as it strikes our ears. To “listen” is to hear, acknowledge, process and respond. Listening encompasses our whole being.
Our devotional two weeks ago focused on the personal drama of a young woman, Hannah, who was childless. The love story between her and her husband, Elkanah, is moving. The conflict between her and his second wife in a polygamous marriage, Peninnah, is the stuff soap operas are made of. You can read about it in 1 Samuel 1.
Hannah poured out her dilemma and desire to God in prayer. She trusted in God. She believed that He listened to her. And He did. God listened. God cared. God acted, and Hannah was blessed with a son, Samuel. Hannah had promised to raise him to be a man of God who would serve God all his life. When Samuel was old enough, Hannah took him to the Temple and to the high priest, Eli. And that’s where we find the passage for today: “Now Samuel, though only a boy, was the Lord’s helper … (he) grew up in the presence of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 2:18,21).
Here are the lessons: First, God loves us. God not only listens to us when we speak to Him, He listens to us. And His listening results in His doing. Second, it is not enough for us to just listen to stories, promises and passages out of scripture. God wants us to be like Samuel. He wants us to listen to Him. He wants us to live in deep relationship with Him all day, every day.
And when we listen to Him, we live our lives in a way that reflects Him. We become His helpers to listen to others, to care for others, to act on the behalf of others. This is essential to us working at an organization with “Many Strengths. One Mission.” Listening enables us to live out our mission to continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ.
Love others around you well by giving them the gift of listening.
—Terry Swenson, DMin, is campus chaplain for Loma Linda University.
