Can We Listen Without Hearing?

I love coming across promises in the Bible. We can always trust God at His Word, praying it back to Him in faith, and fully expect to receive the promise offered, though perhaps not always how we expected it. There are so many promises! Promises for protection, comfort, the ability to forgive, or even to ask for more faith to take hold of more promises! But there are also some promises that at first seem less appealing. One of these appears in Mark Chapter 4, verses 24-25. In these verses, Jesus is speaking to his twelve disciples and other followers (see verse 10), where He says,

“Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

I’ve read these verses many times and always pondered how or why God would do such a thing? Why would He take away our understanding, especially if we only have a little?

There may be several reasons but one clue, I believe, is the word “closer.” Jesus promises that “the closer you listen,” more insight will be given to you. But to those who don’t listen closely, which Jesus likens to those who “are not listening” at all, will lose what little understanding they did have—it will be as if they never heard a thing. If we are to grow and mature as Christians, we must listen closely to God’s Spirit and seek confirmation in His Word, and this will not occur through sporadic reading of the Bible. Just as we cannot expect to learn in a classroom without regular attendance or expect to grow closer to another person without spending regular time together, we cannot expect to deepen our understanding of God, as He has revealed Himself in His Word, if we only make time for Him and reading the Bible on an inconsistent, uncommitted basis. A friend of mine said it this way: “It is both a warning and a responsibility.”

God is our Master Builder—He builds our faith, one day at a time. Imagine you are building a house: You’ve laid out the plans, selected the materials, and set up your foundation. Soon, a building starts to take shape. But then you go away for a while and the work stops. The termites and mold get ahead of your plans and by the time you return, you discover that all that you have worked for has been lost. This is the warning of Jesus: even what little you have will be taken away. But for those who are diligent, allowing God to build your faith day-by-day, even more will be given. Why? Because the Master Designer is building on what is already established, the building doesn’t grow larger (the framework is already in place), rather, it grows better! More complete, more beautiful, and far more useful!

Make a commitment today to meet with God daily, even if only for a few minutes; you will begin to see Him at work in your life. Keeping a journal is an amazing tool to look back periodically and see how God has been moving you, one day at a time, towards greater maturity, faith, and purpose

Shadia Hrichi

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