Listening with Our Heart - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

The LORD is near - Sunday, November 22, 2021
by Jacob Redekop, Brian Reynolds, John van Dijk, Eugene P. Vedder Jr

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Listening with Our Heart

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
James 1:19

Listening with Our Heart
It is easy to talk more than we listen. This is what Job's three friends did when they came to "comfort" him in his time of suffering and sorrow. They thought their opinions of Job's situation would encourage him. They came to conclusions that were not accurate. They even accused Job of having hidden sin in his life. Their explanations of the way God was working in Job's life only made things worse for Job. Job also made mistakes in some of his comments. His heart was hurting, and out of it came words that were wrong. But that didn't give his friends license to condemn him. What was needed at that point was a listening ear.

To be an effective encourager, it is best to listen to the hurt in silence with our arm around those who need a sounding board. This is listening with our hearts. It doesn't mean that we agree with everything that is spoken. But it gives those who hurt opportunities to get the poisonous emotions out of their system in order to make room for God's grace. A listening ear along with a listening heart detects the hurt, weighs the pain, and responds in a caring way. There will be time to encourage them in the Lord once they have come to the point where they are opened and honest before the Lord. Forcing our thoughts on them never helps those who are hurting. Healing is hardly ever found at the end of an argument; this we see in Job's friends.

The apostle James reminds us that "man's wrath does not work God's righteousness" ( jnd). It is not always easy to listen with our heart. Sometimes we think we have to answer every question or correct every mistaken view at that very moment. But what is needed is for us to simply listen, acknowledge the feelings being expressed, and wait for the Lord to give the right word at the right time. Are there those in your life today who need a listening heart?

Tim Hadley, Sr.

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