Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
Recently a friend and I were talking about how frustrating the “selective hearing” of our children can be. There are many times when I know my son can hear me but is either too distracted to listen or is simply choosing not to listen to what I am saying. I imagine God has the same frustrations with us. God is speaking to us but we are often too busy to hear Him or choosing not to listen to what He is really saying.
In today’s first reading, in the book of Jeremiah, God tells His people, “Listen to my voice” (Jer 7:23). He does not say hear my voice. He specifically says listen to my voice. Listening means so much more than hearing. To listen one must not only hear but also take those words to heart, ponder them and then act on them.
To listen to God’s voice we must first hear His voice. Sometimes it feels like God’s voice is booming and it’s impossible not to hear but often times God speaks to us in quiet whispers. Hearing these whispers amidst the “noise” of our lives is hard. We have so many devices and distractions that shut God’s voice out. To hear God we need to make time for silence. Sometimes silence seems impossible or scary or uncomfortable, but it is something we need to make time and room for in our lives. Seek out silence, even if it is just 20 minutes per day where you turn off your phone, tv and computer. Allow yourself to be fully present to God.
Can you hear God’s voice? Are you listening for His voice? Or are there too many distractions keeping it out? What in your life is blocking out the Lord’s voice? Before we can hear the Lord, we have to give Him the space and ability to be heard.
The next step in listening to the Lord is to ponder in your heart what we have heard. In other words, think and pray about what you hear the Lord saying to you. In our psalm today we hear the call “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Psalm 95). A hardened heart is one that is unchanging, unaffected and cold. Do not let this be your heart. Once we have heard the Lord we need to allow Him to change our hearts. We need to be open to the Lord’s will as we ponder His words. Do not simply hear the Lord and then shut out what He has spoken to you. Rather, open your heart to what the Lord is saying.
At the Lenten retreat this weekend Father Satish spoke some about the line from Hosea, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her” (Hosea 2:14). May our hearts be open to allow the Lord to speak tenderly to us.
Finally, we must allow what we have heard and pondered to change our lives. We must decide, as we hear in the Gospel reading, if we are with the Lord or against him. When we listen to the Lord and choose to be with Him, our lives will change. We will be asked to emulate Christ in every situation. But the beautiful part about listening to God is that we are not alone. We walk through life with a constant companion, who fills our moments of silence with loving whispers of guidance and truth.
Think about today: are you with the Lord or against Him? Can you hear His voice? What is He saying? How will His words change your life?
- Amanda Grimm