Next, we will pray for our hearing. Our ears are very important but often overlooked! What does the Word say about our hearing?
- So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing, from the Word of God. Romans 10:17
- Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. James 1:19.
I heard something on the radio this week about the different levels of using our senses. Isn’t it funny how God connects things (like school kickoff speeches and radio content) to give us a kick in the pants and connect us to Him? One of the things this person mentioned was the difference between hearing and listening.
Hearing is a surface-level task. We hear wind and rain. Dogs bark. Birds chirp. We hear car horns, train whistles, music, and conversations. However, these sounds don’t necessarily move us to action. Often, they don’t even elicit conscious thought.
Listening is intense and intentional. What we hear bounces off our ears and out of our minds. When we LISTEN to positive input, it sticks with us and changes us. It also often drives us to DO something or think something differently. Therefore, we must be selective of what we listen TO.
Our prayers can guard and guide our listening. We can pray specifically about our listening to…
- God’s promises, warnings, and commands
- His still, small voice
- God-honoring music and messages
- The prompting of His Holy Spirit to do (or not do) something
- Truth instead of lies
- Encouragement, not discouragement
- The voices around us
We must listen to what we are listening to. I must pay attention to what I pay attention to. Sometimes, it just needs a little tweak.
Now What?
My challenge to you (and to myself), today, is to take stock of what we are listening to. Do our music choices honor God and edify us? Do we listen for God’s still small voice whispering truth in our ear, or are we listening to the enemy whisper lies and gradually accepting them as truth? Should we re-program our self-talk to encourage our minds? Are we listening to friends who build us up or tear us down?
Sometimes, we just need to pause and ponder these things. More importantly, as we learn to pray about everything, we can pray for God to help us in this area.
Lord, Jesus, anoint our ears! Bless our ears, and help us to choose and be intentional about that to which we listen. Help us to hear truth and to speak it over ourselves and our loved ones. In Jesus’ name, Amen!