BE QUICK TO LISTEN

James 1:19 says “wherefore, my beloved brethren, let everyman be swift to hear and slow to speak, slow to wrath.” Grammatically, hearing is passive while listening is active. On your way home, you may hear people talk about something; that does not mean you listened to them. But if you pay attention to hear someone, that makes it listening. We can easily conclude that listening is to concentrate on hearing someone or something.

I had recently been talking a lot to God through prayers but refused to read the Bible when prompted by the Spirit of God to do so. He put a question to me that “How often do I listen to Him?” Suddenly I came to myself that I had never thought of that. All we do is to always talk and talk but never listen to Him. Today, we pray for this, and the next time for another, but we never pay attention to Him.

Be quick to listen to God, He is always paying attention to us whenever we pray to Him. God is serious with His children, He does not play us around like toys, yet we behave in disobedient. He calls us obedient children (1 Pet. 1:14) but how many of us obey Him. I realized how foolish I behaved towards Him, my request is always granted but I refuse His. God is quick to hear us, He is slow to wrath and to speak; all because he is gentle.

My granny would have to scream before I listen to her, even to the point of losing her voice. Just telling me to bath becomes a problem; but it is not for her benefit; it’s for mine. When she gets tired, she stop for a while and continue to prompt me that I smell bad.

This is a similar way to how God speaks to us, He wants our benefit. You ask me how to get to Kumasi from the airport. Then I give you the direction to get there. You may take it or leave it, which is your free will. Even if you go to the town planners, the same direction will be given to you. Crying to me won’t get you there, complaining to me will be of no use, why? Because you have already been given the direction and refuses to listen.

Doors are already opened for you, but it takes the listening ears to enter his blessings. I remember a day when I swapped phone with a friend. I went into his browser’s history and found a site there. This site was only two digits and the “.com” follows. Immediately I saw the site, I was prompted that it was a harlot site. Despite the promptings, I opened it to see what I shouldn’t have seen. You would not suspect that the site is of that, but you would probably be curious of it. My spirit knew before I opened it. I turned death ears to God.

It is important to listen to God; we are always talking but slow to listening. Let us pay heed to Him, allow Him to express the true view of our situations.

When I was in the Senior High School, most of the problems my mates encountered were brought before me for judgment. Especially with misunderstanding between friends; they liked to hear my judgment and mine was final for them. It was not because I was closer to them or I knew how to speak well, but because I was quick to hear and slow to speak. They see me as a man with few words but with great impact. And my judgment was pure (that was of God); anytime I settle a case, both friends accept their mistakes and reconcile.

Be quick to listen and slow to speak, this is what God asks you today, how often to you pay heed to him, how often do you study his word, how often to you join the gathering of the saints; “Quench not Holy Spirit.” (1 Th. 5:19)

And I put the same question to you, HOW OFTEN DO YOU LISTEN TO GOD?