Tune Your Ears and Listen

By: Gina Welsh

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

“In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:6-8 (ESV)

Have you ever walked through a forest and stood still to listen? Have you ever stood on the beach in the morning before anyone arrived and listened to the rhythmic sounds of the waves hitting the shore? Moments of stillness direct our hearts towards God, and they remind us of His majesty, strength, and omniscience. But the complexities and heartaches of life can draw our attention away from God. To defeat life's distractions, we must intentionally quiet our hearts and tune our ears to God's voice.

God speaks in several ways, but the primary way God speaks to us is through His Word. But there is a difference between reading the Bible for information and reading it to hear God speak. When we quiet our hearts and read His Word with anticipation, God speaks. When we believe that God wants to say something to us, He will. When we believe God has something to say, we'll listen more attentively and attempt to silence the world's noise. Look forward to those moments with God, then tune your ears (heart), and believe! When God speaks, it will strengthen you, give you courage, and change your perspective and priorities.

Our world's loudness is increasing, and it constantly demands more and more of our attention. But when we're able to hear God's still, quiet voice, it provides what we need to get through life's toughest days. Tuning the world out and "tuning in" to God isn't easy, but it's always worth it! When we're attuned to God's voice it calms our emotions. When God speaks to us, our anxieties and fears are replaced with His courage and peace. Having God's peace makes us attractive to a culture that is desperately seeking peace. I'm sure many of us have been praying for world peace, but the main thing our our world needs right now is the Prince of Peace!

Let's make sure we're tuning our ears and turning our hearts toward Jesus. If you're stressed out, be still and listen to God. Everything you need is found in Him!

Heavenly Father, tune our ears as we read your Word. May those words from Psalm 40 be said about us:

"We delight to do your will."

"O my God; your law is within our hearts."