Hearing the Word of God

Most of us are introduced to the Bible through hearing. If you grew up in a Christian family, you probably heard the Bible being read aloud at home and/or in church before you could read. If you did not grow up in a Christian family, it’s unlikely you would have any interest in it without hearing about it or what it says. Hearing is a starting place. It is also the method of learning that has the lowest rates for the retention of knowledge.

I’m an auditory learner, and I still find listening to God’s word to be the least effective way for me to be changed by God’s word. Why? I recognize that when the Bible is being read in church or quoted in a sermon or talk, I often listen in a passive way. The result is that my mind drifts away to other things—more often than I would care to admit. (And it is in the context of lessons, sermons, and talks that I most often am hearing God’s word.) If what we hear is going to impact us, we must listen attentively.

I think it is easiest to be attentive to scripture when it is part of a conversation because we are probably already mentally engaged. In conversation, we are most apt to hear the Bible being quoted (or summarized) when someone is:

• sharing how God used a particular passage in his/her life
• asking a question about it
• using it to support/negate something that has been said
• adding a new viewpoint

If I am in a structured setting, I need extra help to listen well. (The speed at which a speaker talks is well below the speed at which our brains can handle information. That easily leads to my mind losing focus.) Here are some ways to help increase attention:

• Take notes—is there something in the passage that particularly speaks to me? Something I would like to follow up on at a later time?
• Read along with the scripture as it is being read—Warning! this can be a distraction if it’s not the same version
• Look for connections between the passages—common themes? Contrasts?
• See how/if the scripture supports the sermon/talk/lecture

Good listeners listen to understand. I am more apt to hear God speaking to me through his word if I am asking him to show me what he wants me to understand—about myself, life, or those around me—than if I am approaching scripture as merely an intellectual pursuit.