Listen to the Voice of God

Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.“Pay close attention,” he added.(Mark 4:23–24a)

Throughout Scripture, we are repeatedly called to recognize the importance of listening to God. Here, hearing is not merely a physical and involuntary act of perceiving sounds through our ears. When God calls His people to listen to His message, it means listening attentively—being aware of the importance of what is being said and seeking to understand it.

In the well-known Old Testament prayer Shema Israel, the call to listen to the one true God is imperative:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.(Deuteronomy 6:4)

In the New Testament, we see Jesus drawing the attention of His listeners, for example, before telling the parable of the sower:

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.”(Mark 4:3)

And at the end of the Bible, we find this warning repeated many times:

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.(Revelation 3:13)

All these statements emphasize the importance of listening to and obeying God’s commands. The word Shema (“hear” in Hebrew) highlights the call to pay attention, to listen with the whole heart, and to obey the one sovereign Creator God.

4 Steps to Learn How to Listen to God

1. Pause for a while.Make the Lord and His Word your priority. Give Jesus, the Word of God, and what He wants to say to you through Scripture the importance they deserve.

2. Silence other voices.Quiet all the voices that compete for your attention—both external voices (social media, screens, etc.) and internal ones (irrelevant thoughts, worries, and anxiety).

3. Listen.Keep your ears, eyes, mind, and heart attentive to what the Holy Spirit is saying and teaching you through the Holy Bible. Listening also means valuing and putting into practice what is taught.

4. Pray with gratitude!Every time we take time to listen to God, we learn something important about Him, about ourselves, or about the world. Thank Him for His beautiful promises, His commandments, His truth, His warnings, and His encouragement.

Prayer:Lord, forgive me if I have not listened to You as I should. Do not allow me to become trapped by the voices of this world that bring anxiety, fear, and worry, causing me to miss the precious value of hearing Your gentle voice. Help me to focus on You and to be attentive to what You say in Your Word. Thank You so much for teaching me so many wonderful, life-changing truths. Help me to listen to You, because only if I listen carefully will I have the faith to obey and practice the Word of Christ. Speak, Lord—I want to listen with all my heart. Amen.