When I started developing this blog, I realized I had a problem. I felt called to teach believers about listening to God and each other. But listening is a really tough sell. Let’s face it: most people think of listening as a way to pass the time while they’re waiting to talk.
So I realized that if I’m going to reach more of you with this message, I need to start by debunking the myth of listening as passive and weak. The good news is, the Bible already did that.
שָׁמַע “shema”, The Hebrew word for “listen”, is much more active. It can mean hearing and understanding, listening with interest and attention, and acting on what you hear by yielding or obeying.
The term “active listening” is very popular in secular coaching circles, but it’s a concept that Yeshua was familiar with from a very early age. The very first prayer he ever learned began with the word “Shema”. Listening was the foundation of his spiritual formation.
I coined the term “Fluent Listening” to describe how natural this can be. A language that we speak fluently is second nature. I want your experience of listening to God to be like that.
How? Let’s take the language idea a little farther. How did you learn your native language? Did you read a book? Buy language learning software? Enroll in a language school?
You didn’t need to do any of those things, because you gained fluency by listening.
(Interesting aside about me: Hebrew is my first language. After being born and spending my infancy in Israel, my mom and I moved to the states just before I started talking. So I never learned enough vocabulary to speak Hebrew fluently, because I didn’t spend enough time practicing {ie making mistakes} to train my brain for speaking or reading. But to this day, Hebrew sounds so “right” to me and I can pronounce words comfortably. This can only be explained by the fact that I heard Hebrew in utero and most of my first year of life, during a phase when babies learn by listening.)
I’d argue that listening fluently takes time and practice, just like learning to speak fluently. If you want hearing God’s voice to be second nature, if you want it to flow out of you in a natural, unforced way, don’t be afraid to devote time and practice to it, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
My challenge to you is this: carve out 5 minutes a day this week to spend in silence with God. This five minutes isn’t a time to read your bible or a devotional, or even pour out your heart to Him. It’s a time to be silent and just practice listening. Expect to act on what you hear, as long as it aligns with God and His word (more on that later). If nothing happens, it’s OK. If you’re just hearing your own mental chatter, that’s OK too. Give yourself permission to practice and make mistakes. Fluency is a long term investment, but it’s worth it.
What skill have you practiced until it became natural? What did you learn from that experience that you can apply to the practice of listening to God?