Listening, Leaning In, and Letting Go

Ever had a time when the same Bible verse kept popping up everywhere? You hear it in the sermon, read it in the devotion, and a friend talks about it. The last few weeks, I have had that experience with Jesus’s statement, “Therefore everyone who hear these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24 NASB) That house is secure when experiencing severe storms because of its solid foundation.

Hearing God’s Word + Putting God’s Word into Action = A Strong Foundation that Endures the Storms of Life

Strength and endurance directly connect to knowing and obeying God’s word. In other words, I need to listen well if I want to live well. But listening is often easier said than done. We can easily convince ourselves we are listening when in reality, we are making up our own way or adding our interpretation.

So how do we know when we are listening?

I would argue that if we are not changing, we know we are not listening. Whether it is person to person or us with God, when we truly listen, it forces us to think differently and often to live differently. Let’s look at a Scripture that illustrates this.

In Isaiah 30, the prophet Isaiah is telling the story of the nation of Israel and its rebellion against God. The first two verses give us a strong sense of the situation, “‘Woe to the rebellious children,’ declares the LORD, ‘Who execute a plan, but not Mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin; who proceed down to Egypt without consulting Me.”

God’s people got off track. When they needed help and shelter, they devised their own methods to find it. But they didn’t realize that their actions were self-defeating. By turning against God, their plans were futile and would also end in destruction. While they thought they were improving their situation, they were actually making it worse.

I relate to God’s people. Sometimes (more than I like to admit to myself), I create my path. Even when I want something good, I don’t always go about it in God’s way. And anytime I pave my own way, I am turning away from God’s voice and missing out on His blessing.

Even though Isaiah was clear about the negative results of allying with Egypt, he also outlined the alternative path. God speaks in verse 15, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.” Instead of rebellion, God offers His people rest and strength. In verse 18, God is described as longing to show compassion and pour His grace on His people.

Walking with God is so much more than declaring we are His child. It involves a continual posture of humility. We must choose over and over to hear from Him to put His words into practice. In a noisy and chaotic world, we have to decide to pause, lean in, and listen well.

Listening always requires something from us. It begins with the time and effort to center ourselves on God but moves into clear action. Let’s look at how Isaiah expresses this reality in verses 21-22, “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left. And you will defile your graven images… You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, ‘Be gone!’”

For the Israelites, leaning in and listening meant they would have to remove the idols from their life. They were holding on to physical evidence of their rebellion against God. These idols signified their lack of trust in God and willingness to embrace what felt good.

Even though you and I most likely do not have literal false gods in our houses, that doesn’t mean we are free from impurities. When we open ourselves to God’s direction, we open our hearts to His inspection. We cannot follow His path without addressing the places of rebellion that He surfaces. Authentic listening means letting go of false hope, misplaced trust, and impure behavior and thinking.

Early in January, I realized the most significant barrier to achieving my goals is not knowing what I want to accomplish but not wanting to let go of one thing to embrace another. For example, if I want to save more money, I must let go of spending. If I want to lose weight, I have to let go of eating certain things. If I want to exercise, I need to release something that fills my time.

In contemplating Isaiah 30, God reminded me to let go of one thing to embrace another. What is true of personal growth is also true of spiritual growth. If I want to be a disciple of Jesus who listens to His voice, that will mean I have to let go of some things.

As much as I hate to admit how much I like to go my own way, acknowledging that reality helps me move toward God’s path. When I realize I cannot know the best way without God’s input, then I can slow down and lean in. When I slow down and lean in, I learn to hear God’s voice more clearly. And when I hear His voice, I can choose His way.