Matthew 13:9 NLT
Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.
Isaiah 42:18-20
Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind! 19 Who is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messenger? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the Lord? 20 You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.
Isaiah 42:23-24 NLT
Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future? 24 Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt? It was the Lord, against whom we sinned, for the people would not walk in his path, nor would they obey his law.
Zechariah 7:11-13 NLT
Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. 12 They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.13 “Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
שָׁמַע shâma
To discern, hear, listen, make noise, be obedient, obey, proclaim, understand.
Matthew 13:13 NLT
That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
ἀκούω akŏvō
To hear, pay attention to, obey, listen, listen carefully; to believe and respond to.
How Do We Hear God’s Voice?:
1) His Voice
Genesis 3:8-10 NLT
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
Ways to learn how to recognize His voice:
– Read and Study the Bible.
– Immerse yourself in worship.
– Spend time in prayer.
– Spend time with those who know His voice.
Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
2) To His Voice
John 10:2-5 NLT
But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.
“Hearing is something that happens to us. Sounds force our attention, and we ‘obey’ them instinctually through our body’s responses. Listening, on the other hand, is something that we choose. Listening is a practice of focused attention. Hearing is an act of the senses, but listening is an act of the will. In listening you center not only your ears but also your mind, heart and posture on someone or something other than yourself. It is a chosen obedience, like soldiers falling into line the moment their commanding officer calls them to attention.” –Adam S. McHugh, The Listening Life
3) Near His Voice
Exodus 33:11 NLT
Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.
“Many years ago a mentor said to me, ‘Learning to hear God’s voice is the most important task of a disciple of Jesus.’ More recently, another mentor said, ‘The primary posture of a disciple of Jesus is sitting at his feet and listening.’ Same truth.” –Pete Greig, How to Hear God
Answer Key: recognize; respond; remain