To listen closely, with every fiber of our being is one of the most difficult things in the world, and yet it is essential in developing a personal relationship, especially with God.
Listening opens the door to obedience, which comes from the Latin “oboedire” to give ear, to harken, to listen. Obedience moves us from our preoccupation with the ego-driven self and inclines us toward others.
If we stop listening to anything we find hard to take then we are likely to pass God by without even noticing Him. It is our obedience, which proves that we have been paying close attention. So to obey really means to hear and then act upon what we heard, or, in other words, to ensure that the listening achieves its objective.
We are not being truly attentive unless we are prepared to act on what we hear. If we hear and do nothing about it, then the sounds have simply fallen on our ears and we have not heard anything at all.
Matthew 13:15 “For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.”
