To Hear

Mark 12:28
28. One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29. “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
31. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
32. “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and
there is no other but him.
33. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

I have the honor of teaching a home bible study starting this week, so I have been studying this portion of scripture in order to spend a few months teaching through it. As I was studying the first portion of this scripture called the “Shema” (which means “to hear), the Lord began challenging me on my view of traditions and how I focus on Him daily.

If I was a good Jewish boy I would pray this portion of scripture as a prayer from memory at least twice a day--once at night and once in the morning.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

The more that I have studied, prayed and pondered on the Shema I have come to this conclusion:

Too often, I allow my desire to not appear “religiously bound” as the excuse for being inconsistent with some of the most crucial elements of my walk with my Lord. Elements such as:

• Reading scripture consistently enough that I can quote it as well as some movies I have watched or music I have heard.

• Praying consistently enough that when the threat of a lion’s den or a fiery furnace comes our way, the only natural thing to do is to fall on my knees--just like every other day!

• Allowing the Holy Spirit to come and help me, not just when I think I am out of strength, but in every single moment of this life. Because what strength of our own do we really have anyway?

Here is what the Lord is showing me in this scripture as I try to truly HEAR what is being said:

“Hear me now Kristopher! I am God. I am beyond your understanding and have more compassion, love and power than your little mind can imagine. I am the one and only God! You have no need to fear, as I am here and above me there is NO other!”

I am not sure what you do on a daily basis to escape the fears of life and keep focused on the Lord, or how often you do it, but I am finding that I need to keep my life in His hands every moment of my day. It is when I begin staring at the details of life and its circumstances, and stop keeping my eyes on the Lord and His goodness, that things in my life quickly falls apart.

5 Steps to Hearing

1. Turn down the other noise!

We must consistently retreat from the loud distractions that we face on a daily basis.

2. Train your ear to know the Lord's voice!

The Lord's voice is distinct. But we must continue to train our ears or we may miss what He is trying to say...

3. Quit trying to multi-task!

It seems that our present day speed of life and technology has trained us that focusing in on one thing at a time is no longer worthwhile. So we attempt to do many things at once to keep our brains entertained. While we are seeking our Lord, we need to set things aside and give Him our full attention!

4. Listen even when we do not like what is being said!

As I watch my children tune me out each time I tell them to do a chore or finish a task, I am reminded of the many times that I have ignored the Lord and His promptings. It is almost like I have the ability to convince myself that He is not speaking at all, when Jesus went to the cross to assure that His message of love and hope would actually be heard.

5. In those moments when the Lord seems distant press in and stay consistent!

This is so important! It is through our consistency in focusing on the Lord and keeping our heart's desire to know and serve our Lord that we can survive the darkest night. The enemy of our souls would like us to believe that the Lord has deserted us and has nothing more to say. But it is in those hours of questioning that our faith grows and our testimonies about who our God is get polished!

Lord,

I pray for each person that will read this small teaching. I pray that, through the words that have been written, the reader would be challenged to set aside the agenda of his or her day and trade it for your plan. Please teach them how to hear your voice and how to hear your truth. The world tries to offer its version of truth, but the ideas are incomplete and broken. Keep the desire to know you and hear your direction on a moment-by-moment basis ever before myself and others.

Amen