Jeremiah 23:18“Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?” (NLT)

Jeremiah 23:18-20
“Have any of these prophets bothered to meet with me, the true GOD? 
bothered to take in what _I_ have to say? 
listened to and then _lived out_ my Word? 
Look out! God’s hurricane will be let loose— 
my hurricane blast, 
Spinning the heads of the wicked like tops! 
GOD’s raging anger won’t let up 
Until I’ve made a clean sweep, 
completing the job I began. 
When the job’s done, 
you’ll see that it’s been well done.” (NLT)

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God is more interested in being heard than we are in hearing him. 

Reading the Bible day by day helps us understand God’s heart and mind, his will and ways. We learn his expectations and rewards. We see how he works. We hear how he speaks to people in every generation and in every kind of dilemma. 

The more time we spend listening to what he has said and preserved for us in the Bible, the more clearly we can distinguish his voice from all the competing voices of our day.

Those who hear him best are those who ask for his wisdom and direction and are then still and quiet enough to listen to instructions. He speaks softly and tenderly more often than he shouts. 

The band U2 has a song that says, “It’s hard to listen while you preach.” Prophets aplenty were “prophesying” in Jeremiah’s day. They had happy messages, happy songs, and happy expectations. They also had ears too deaf to hear what God was actually saying. He was speaking words of warning. He was declaring the judgment to come if the people didn’t turn back to him with their whole hearts. 

We tread on thin ice when we keep on talking when we should be listening. 

Then and now, preachers with happy messages and positive affirmations attract bigger crowds and sell more books than those who speak the truth in love. That did not end well in Jeremiah’s day. 

What is God saying to you today? Have you asked him to speak to your heart? Are you still and quiet long enough to hear? 

Pastor Jason Paredes of Fielder Church in Arlington, Texas, told a group last week how he seeks God in prayer and waits to hear him clearly before he transitions into what’s next. Asking, listening, and waiting are essential aspects of hearing God. So is obedience. God speaks to those who are ready to live in a manner that honors him and blesses others. 

We don’t listen to God’s directions to determine if we want to do what he says. We decide we are ready to do what he says before we ask what we should do. We trust his heart. We acknowledge that what he wants for us is better than what we want for ourselves. We move at the impulse of his love. We spread the aroma of his grace and mercy as we follow his directions. 

Spend time alone in God’s presence. Listen to him with focused attention. Lovingly apply what he says. Watch him do what only he can do.

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I will listen for what God is saying to me today, and I will follow his directions.

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Our Father, I lean in to listen now. Speak your words of truth and life to my heart. Empower me to do what you say. Make me a blessing as I carry out your will and ways. Amen.