Sometimes we might be eager to make a decision and hesitant to seek any advice. Other times we might be determined for someone to hear our point of view and less inclined to hear theirs. Whatever the reason and the occasion, there are often times in our lives when we are not very good listeners. Yet, the Bible urges us to hone the skill of listening.
The Jews named one of their key Biblical texts (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) the “Shema,” which is a Hebrew word meaning “hear” or “listen.” The first word of that passage is “Hear.” God wanted His people to learn to “hear/listen.” Wisdom, personified in the book of Proverbs, calls out, “Blessed is the man who listens to me” (8:34), and the book promises safety and success to the one who heeds a “multitude of counselors” (11:14; 15:22; 24:6). However, “folly and shame” follow the person who “answers a matter before he hears it” (Prov. 18:13). The New Testament tells us to be “quick to hear” (Jas. 1:19).
Are you a good listener? That’s not, “Are you good at being quiet?” Rather, are you honing your skill of listening?
