Do you like being heard?

My favourite verse from the Psalms is from 116:1-2. I love the Lord for he heard my voice. Because he inclined his ear to me, I will love him the rest of my days. 

Often we equate hearing as being hearing what someone says and that is that. But I want to make the proposal that true hearing means more then just hearing what is said. Rather real hearing involves action. Within the framework of the Psalm, David says that he loves the Lord because God heard his voice. This means that God heard and acted on his behalf.

Within the Christian framework of existence, God didn’t just hear. He saw. He heard the cry of our hearts stained by sin. He saw our lives messed up by sin. And he acted on our behalf. Painful! Agonising! Tearful! Costly! Deathly action on our behalf. Action which brought us peace. Action that brought us hope. Action that brought about life.

In the same way, we also are called to be hearers of the word. This means to be doers of the word. Being a doer of the word means to be someone who hears what is going on around them. Do you hear what is going on around you. Because if you hear what is going on around you, you are called to action.

The call to action is a hard call. It requires us to die to self. It requires us to die to self and to serve others. Serve our King. Serve our Lord. Serve our God. But…the reality is – serving our God means we need to serve others. Serving others means to act on what we hear, Praying when we hear a need. Giving when we hear a need. Helping when we hear a need. Sharing when we hear a need. Providing shelter when we hear a need.

Jesus said, when you feed someone, you feed him. When you clothe someone, you clothe him. When you visit someone, you visit him. When you provide for someone, you provide for him. When you pray for someone, you pray for him. When you share with someone, you share with him.

When we do these things, we become true hearers of Jesus and we become true hearers of others. I ask you today to consider if you truly are a hearer of the word of God?

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