Jesus Calling: How Well Are You Listening? (2024)

In middle school, my parents diagnosed me with a common disorder: selective hearing.

I couldn’t hear my dad telling me to do the dishes or take out the trash, but I could hear him whispering about my upcoming birthday presents. I don’t think I’m the only one with this problem. Selective hearing, also known as disobedience, is banned in the kingdom of Christ. Disciples must always be dialed in to the voice of our Lord.

Listening to Jesus is vital to the Christian life. Discipleship demands non-selective hearing from Jesus. I’ve never heard his voice with my ears, but the risen Christ does speak to me: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). He speaks via the Scriptures.

Hear His Voice

Today, we can hear Jesus speak with our eyeballs. In the red letters? Yes — and in all the black ones, too. We hear and behold his glory from Genesis to Revelation by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“The Scriptures are more than ink printed on a forest of dead tree bark. The Bible is living and active.”

As Puritan John Owen says, “To behold it [the glory of Christ] is not a work of fancy or imagination; it is not conversing with an image framed by the art of men without, or that of our own fancy within, but of faith exercised on divine revelations. This direction he gives us himself, John 5:39, ‘Search the Scriptures; for they are that which testify of me.’”

Genesis to Revelation is filled with the words and glory of Christ, inspired by the Holy Spirit, drawing his sheep to follow him. The Scriptures are more than ink printed on a forest of dead tree bark. The Bible is living and active.

Open it up. Listen.

The Father says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). The Father’s love for the Son calls us to action. He wants us to listen to Jesus — to obey Jesus, to submit to Jesus, to follow Jesus. The Father invites us to view Jesus like he does — as the beloved Son with whom he is well pleased, and as the voice who is worth hearing.

Your love for the Lord is expressed in how you listen to the Lord (John 14:6). Your view of Jesus is revealed in how you hear him. There is a direct connection between our ears and our hearts. Worship is more than Jesus listening to what we have to say about him; it’s also our listening to what Jesus has to say, what he wants, what he commands, what he promises. And we must listen without selectivity.

Jesus gets our full attention. We can’t say we love Jesus while we tune him out.

Don’t Edit While You Hear

Are you listening to Jesus in a non-edited manner? Selective listening is rebellion. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Do you find yourself reading the Bible and thinking, “Well, that’s not what he really meant,” or, “That’s just asking too much,” or, “I can’t do that”? If we find ourselves tweaking and diluting the Bible to fit comfortably around our desires, hunches, sins, and idols, the apostle John warns us: maybe you don’t know Jesus after all.

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:3–6)

Hearing Jesus, the Word of God, in the word, is ground-level discipleship. How can we follow Jesus if we don’t hear from Jesus? Every time we crack open the Bible, we are sitting down to hear Jesus. Like sheep with the Good Shepherd, we are listening to his direction. Listening is for discipleship, direction, comfort, rebuke, correction, training in righteousness, and encouragement — all of which Jesus speaks to us from the Bible.

“How can we follow Jesus if we don’t hear from Jesus?”

There is no more refreshing voice in the universe than Jesus’s. Why not go to him? There’s a lot of voices in this world, but only one that commands our soul, our life, our all. We listen to Jesus, the beloved Son, because we love Jesus — and because he loves us. He has nothing bad to say to us.

Next time you open the Bible, offer a simple prayer: “Speak Lord. My Bible is open. Your servant is listening.” He promises, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

Jesus Calling: How Well Are You Listening? (2024)

FAQs

How do you know Jesus is listening to you? ›

Through the scriptures, we are taught that God will always hear our prayers and will answer them if we address Him with faith and real intent. In our hearts we will feel the confirmation that He does hear us, a feeling of peace and calm. We can also feel that everything will be fine when we follow the Father's will.

What does God say about being a good listener? ›

God instructs us to listen well: “Be quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19). Many verses in Proverbs show that God wants us to listen to our parents, especially when they teach important life lessons.

What is the listening prayer? ›

Here is an example of a simple approach:

I invite the Holy Spirit to wash over me and awaken my heart to hear God's voice. I sometimes just wait on the Spirit to speak, other times I lift a question to the Lord… What do I need to hear from your heart to mine today, Lord? Speak Holy Spirit, I am listening.

Where in the Bible does it say how do you hear God's voice? ›

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” It's in stillness, not busyness, that we tune our spiritual ears to hear the voice of God. The Lord always speaks to us in that “STILL, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12, emphasis mine), but often it's drowned out amid all the turmoil of our daily lives.

How do you know when God is talking to you? ›

This can happen through prayer, contemplation and/or time in the Bible. We begin to discern God's voice over the noise of our world as we give time to these disciplines. The Holy Spirit begins speaking to us. We begin to hear God through those around us, circumstances and even our conscience.

How do you know if it's the Holy Spirit speaking? ›

During our times of communion with the Lord, we will rarely hear an audible voice when the Holy Spirit “speaks” to us. What we will sense is a strong leading to do something. Or we might feel strongly about going in a certain direction. The Holy Spirit wants to show us God's plans and purposes for our lives.

What are some examples of Jesus listening well? ›

The stories of the woman at the well (see John 4:5–30), the woman taken in adultery (see John 8:2–11), and the disciples on the road to Emmaus (see Luke 24:13–35) all show Jesus's skill as a listener.

What did Jesus say about listening? ›

Jesus commanded us, “Consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18). So listening is not a passive skill. It is not merely being quiet and letting the other person speak. It requires full attention, focused concentration, and careful thinking.

What if God is not listening to you? ›

You could try journaling your prayers, praying a Psalm or the Lord's Prayer, spending more time listening, walking around while you pray, or praying with other people. Even David—a man after God's own heart—wrote some Psalms crying out to God about why He wasn't answering, so you're not alone if you feel far from God.

How do you ask God to listen to you? ›

Holy Spirit, I need your help. I really want to hear from you, God. Holy Spirit, come and help me. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear.

How to practice listening to God? ›

5 Easy Things You Can Do to Hear the Lord's Voice More Clearly
  1. Read God's Word: ...
  2. Seek Him in Prayer: ...
  3. Meditate on His Truth: ...
  4. Be still before the Lord in Prayer: ...
  5. Listen to Him: ...
  6. When during the day do you prefer to have your quiet time with the Lord?

How do you hear God calling you? ›

6 Tips on How to Hear from God
  1. Position yourself close to God. Samuel set his bed up in the temple, “where the ark of God was” (v. ...
  2. Find a place of regular service to God. In v. ...
  3. Listen for God's voice. ...
  4. When God calls, respond eagerly. ...
  5. When God speaks, obey Him. ...
  6. Read and study the Word of God.
Feb 15, 2016

What does God's voice feel like? ›

The voice of God may not be “calm,” but it will be peaceful. That “still small voice” will stand out in peaceful contrast to the anxiety, pressure and clamor of the other voices in our head. If necessary, turn down the noise of your life (sometimes literally), and attend to the voice of the One who is peace.

How do we know when we hear Jesus' voice? ›

You can learn to hear God's voice by being around people who are regularly listening to him. When trying to discern God's voice, it's a good idea to find other believers who've been walking with Christ longer than you have. Ask them if they can affirm what you sensed the Lord saying to you.

Is Jesus always listening? ›

Jesus ALWAYS hears the prayer to ask Him into our heart but it must be sincere – 'You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart' Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV). There are other times when God does not seem to hear our prayers but He may be saying no or not yet.

How to hear Jesus talking to you? ›

6 Tips on How to Hear from God
  1. Position yourself close to God. Samuel set his bed up in the temple, “where the ark of God was” (v. ...
  2. Find a place of regular service to God. In v. ...
  3. Listen for God's voice. ...
  4. When God calls, respond eagerly. ...
  5. When God speaks, obey Him. ...
  6. Read and study the Word of God.
Feb 15, 2016

Can God hear my prayers if I don't say them outloud? ›

27:46). Yet, Jesus also taught His disciples that our Father hears prayers offered silently or in secret, and Paul tells us the Spirit who strengthens our faith and hope through prayer also intercedes for us with groans too deep for words (6:5–6; Rom. 8:26).

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