Listening Heart

 

Welcome to Lent 2026!  There are so many ways Christians honor this time of year.  Many choose to give up something of meaning (sweets, cursing, etc.).  Certain years, I have focused on giving up bad habits.  This year, I would like you to follow on my Lenten journey of Hearts for Jesus.  During the next few weeks, I will be focusing on ways we can prepare our hearts during this Lenten season.  This week, we start with a Listening Heart.  I adore this passage for today where Samuel speaks these words to God, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

So often on life’s journey, I want God to talk to me.  I want Him to answer my prayers, my questions, and my concerns by opening up the heavens, sending a beam of light on my face, and talking to me.  Doesn’t that sound lovely?  Just as He did with Samuel, He would say, “Susan, Susan” and my response would be “I’m listening”!  Sounds too good to be true.  Is God really going to do that for me?

I believe He does.  Yes, I believe He parts the skies to speak to me.  My problem is I am not the one who truly listens!  My husband and I were having this conversation the other day where we discussed whether God really speaks to us.  It may not be as dramatic as I would like it to be, yet I do believe God’s voice avails itself to us.  Our problem is we have our hearts and souls ready to receive His voice.

You may be saying, “Of course, I am ready to hear God, Susan.  He just does not speak to me.”  Let us take a look at the following:

**Quiet – How often do you find yourself in quiet moments?  When we genuinely want to listen to someone, that means our attention needs to be fully given to the other person.  Other distractions need to be quieted so we can listen intently.  Are you giving God moments in your day where it is quiet so He can speak to you?

**Not Busy – Are you saying to yourself, “I’m just too busy”?  Days can seem as if they are never ending, with responsibilities, chores and busyness taking our time from sunrise to sunset.  Trying to unbusy yourself may seem like a huge chore.  We will always have things to do, my friends.  Shouldn’t we be more like Mary than Martha?  If scheduling your days is important to you, how about scheduling some time for God and not rushing past His importance in your life?

**Reception – Is your heart ready to receive what God is speaking?  Our hearts need to be ready to receive whatever God is saying to us.  Sometimes, that may be in contradiction to what we want to hear from God.  I want prayers answered MY way.  I want answers to coincide with MY thinking.  Friends, God’s way is good – ALL THE TIME!  When we listen to God, we will hear HIS way, the best way.

As we look to move our hearts towards a listening heart, may we find ways to quiet our hearts, unbusy our hearts and ensure our hearts are open to receive what God is saying to us.  He is speaking to each of us in ways that we will understand.  Our goal is to have the heart that will say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 

Complementary video to this post:  Listening Heart

Heavenly Father, thank you for speaking to me.  May I have a listening heart to receive what you want to tell me.  Help me to quiet myself, make my time unbusy for you, and receive YOUR words into my heart.  Amen!