How do you get to know your friends? Your children or parents? Your spouse? Mostly, we get to know others by spending time with them and by doing things together. The number one way we get to know someone, though, is by talking to them and by listening to them. To really get to know someone, we have to listen just as much as we talk. If we do all the talking, and rarely listen, we will never get really get to know the other person.
The number one way we can get to know God is by talking to Him. And by listening to Him. Most of us are pretty good at talking to God — we spend a fair amount of time thanking Him for blessing us and even more time telling Him what we need or want. But how much time do we spend actually listening to God? Listening is where we show God that we are pursuing Him, that we want to know Him—and not just know about Him. Listening is how we hear His Voice.
Jesus repeatedly calls us to listen: “if anyone has ears, let him hear.” Jesus isn’t referring to our natural ability to hear. He’s talking about our desire to hear and understand what He has to say.
He wants us to want to hear what He has to say. He wants us to get to know Him, His character, His thoughts, His desires, and His will. If we will listen, the Lord will tell us what we need to know. We still have to follow through by obeying, but at least we will have heard.
Intimacy with our loved ones comes through talking and listening to them. How much more will intimacy with the Lord come through listening to Him?
Habakkuk Ministries 