Hear, Israël !!

... the LORD our God, the LORD is one."

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
Deuteronomy 6:4–5

This passage begins with a command:

• “Hear!”

For every genuine life with God should begin with an attentive ear and a willing heart.

In the Bible, listening to God does not simply mean hearing a sound or knowing a teaching. A person may have heard the Word of God for many years without allowing it to truly transform the way they live.

Biblical listening involves attention and a readiness to receive, but above all, a willingness to obey.

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
Luke 6:46

God is, in a sense, saying to His people—and to us:

“Stop. Be still, and remember who I am.”

Before we look at our circumstances, before we listen to our fears, our own reasoning, or the voices of this world, we should remember this fundamental truth:

• “The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

There are not several gods among whom we may divide our hearts. God claims a unique and undivided place in our lives.

And it is after saying, “Hear,” that God adds:

• “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart.”

This is the greatest and foremost commandment, which Jesus Himself recalls in Matthew 22:34–38.

Listening, therefore, leads to love.

The more we truly listen to God, the more we discover who He is.

The more we discover who He is, the more we learn to love Him.

And the more we love Him, the more obedience becomes the natural response of our hearts.

The danger, even for a believer, is becoming so accustomed to the things of God that we no longer truly listen.

We can read the Bible and attend church without really listening.

We can even pray while being so busy speaking that we no longer give God room to correct us, teach us, or guide us.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus repeatedly reminds us:

• “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

They all had ears, but not all of them truly heard.

There is therefore a difference between merely hearing the Word and receiving it into our hearts.

Even today, the Lord is looking for men and women whose hearts are able to say:

• “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”

But listening to God often requires us to silence other voices: the voice of fear, the voice of our circumstances, the voice of unbelief, or the opinions of others.

Our own will must also be surrendered to Him.

In the midst of all these voices, the voice of God always brings us back to what matters most:

“Listen.”

The greatest problem of our time is not necessarily that God no longer speaks, but that we have become too busy to listen to Him.

God simply invites us to stop and be still.

• “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!”
  Psalm 46:10

For the one who listens to God may receive direction before making a decision—and that is very important.

They may receive comfort before sinking into discouragement, and a warning before setting out on the wrong path.

Let us therefore not neglect this solemn call from the Lord to listen to His voice above every other voice.

And let us ask Him:

“Lord, is my heart still available and willing enough to listen to You?”

Today, in the midst of the noise of this world, let us pray this simple prayer:

“Lord, teach me to be still before You.

Give me an attentive ear and a heart that is sensitive to Your Word.

May Your voice carry more weight in my life than every other voice.

Help me not only to hear, but also to receive Your Word, to obey You, and to love You with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength.

For Your glory. Amen.”

Franz