Day 6 – What Stops Us From Hearing: Talking More Than Listening
As you begin to spend time with God, settle yourself somewhere quiet and comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Spend a few moments gathering your thoughts, becoming aware of God’s presence with you and in you.
Journal for 5 minutes on yesterday’s reflection and practice. What did you think about and learn? What challenged you? Did God say anything to you throughout the day?
Then, begin today’s devotional.
Read: Deuteronomy 8:3
"He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
If any of you know me, you’ll read the title and not be surprised that I’m asking this question. I love to talk. I can strike up a conversation in any circumstance, with any person, for any length of time, about truly anything. I actually love to do this—much to the horror of my husband who is more of an introvert. My hubby jokes that I see every trip via public transportation as a chance to talk to someone and make a new friend.
Some of you are talkers like me, while others of you talk outwardly less so. However, whether you verbalize it or not, you are constantly talking to yourself about who you are and what you want or need in your relationships. You do this because you are constantly trying to understand exactly what you need from people around you. This means you are chatting with yourself, even if you don’t do it with others. So essentially, we are all talkers!
Why, though, do people feel the need to talk so much (either externally or internally)? Generally, individuals are simply trying to make sense of this great big world and all of the people in it. As people do this, they make mental lists of what they do and do not like from their personal perspective. Fundamentally, we do this to understand how we fit in the world around us.
We are constantly using our own words internally or externally, consciously or unconsciously, to sort out our world and finding belonging. In Deuteronomy 8:3, we see that humans live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. It’s a great reminder that the voice that we need to live by is not first and foremost our own, but God’s. This verse reminds us that the Lord provides what we need —even the understanding about life that we did not know we needed.
God understands every part of our lives better than we ever could. Instead of talking, Deuteronomy reminds us that we only need to listen and we can find all that we need.
Prayer:
God, thank you for the gift of listening. Please help me to remember that I live by every word that comes from Your mouth, Lord. Please help me to talk less and listen more, not only in my prayer relationship with You, but also in all of the relationships in my life.
Journal:
Take a few moments to journal through the following question(s).
Reflect on your typical conversations with God. Are you usually doing more of the talking or more of the listening?
What areas of your life are you trying to control without God’s input? Acknowledge today that you can’t live without the voice of God in your life, surrender those areas to Him, and ask Him to speak into them.
Today's Practice:
According to priest and spiritual director Mark Thibodeaux, prayer evolves in four stages: talking at, talking to, listening to, and finally, being with God. For today, focus on stage three—listening. Spend 15 minutes in prayer today and just listen--truly listen—to what God has to say to you.
By Dr. Renee Bourdeaux, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies