My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth. – Psalm 78:1 (NIV)
I remember a time I asked my dad if I could go to get some lunch with friends after church. My dad said, “yes”, so I got a ride with a friend’s mom to get lunch. Once lunch was over, my friends and I talked a little bit, and then I got dropped off at home. When I walked into my house, I was met with a very angry dad. He asked me where I had been and asked why I hadn’t told him where I was going after church. I’m sure you can imagine my surprise, as I had asked my dad before leaving if it was okay to go.
When I told my dad what had happened, he and I both realized that even though my dad had said, “yes”, it was to the other person that he was having a conversation with after church and it wasn’t to me. In fact, my dad hadn’t even heard me ask to go have lunch with friends.
My dad not hearing me reminds me of today’s Bible verse. Psalm 78 tells us that we should both hear and listen. That might seem like it’s saying the same thing twice, but I think it’s a little like my dad and my conversation after church. We sort of heard each other, but we weren’t really listening. If my dad had been listening more closely, he would have realized I told him where I was going. If I had listened more carefully, I would have realized that my dad was responding to something someone else had said, not to my request.
The same is true when it comes to the things of God. We can hear a verse or a passage, but not really let it sink in. We’ve heard it, but not listened to it. As this new year comes, let’s take some time to do both. Let’s not just casually hear Bible truths, but let’s also listen to them. Let’s see what they have to speak into our lives and let’s let God’s word transform our lives in this next year!
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