When we were kids, learning to listen kept us out of danger, like looking both ways before we crossed the street. Yes, we learned to listen, because we trusted our parents, even if it didn’t make sense to our childish minds. Now let’s fast forward and here we are as adults!   As such, it is probably right to ask if listening is still important, and who or what do we listen too?!  

I’ll never forget the day my friend’s faithful dog, Charlie, learned about listening the hard way. They were walking in the woods when he caught sight of a kitty about 100 yards down the trail. As he began to run toward it to say hello, my friend chased and screamed, “Charlie, stay! Charlie stay, Charlie stay.” But despite his frantic warnings, and plea for him to stop, he was too excited and too distracted to listen. Poor Charlie ran right up to a skunk that was disguised as a kitty, who simply turned and let him have it. Even after many tomato juice baths and several other concoctions, Charlie’s nose and face stunk like that skunk for the last six years his life.

The whole experience reminded me of the story of King David and Bathsheba. When David looked out and saw this beautiful woman bathing on her rooftop, he became too excited and too distracted to hear God warning him, “David, stay! David, my son, no! David, Danger! David stop!” But as we know, David refused to listen to God, and ran headlong down the path of danger. Suddenly, lust turned into an affair, which turned into lying, which turned into murder.

Yes, David’s sin stunk worse than the spray of that skunk. And no matter how hard David tried, the stench from that sin stayed on him the rest of his life. God forgave David, which he is always willing to do, but his bad choices still carried consequences and Nathan the prophet informed David that because of his sinful decisions, “calamity and the sword will never leave your household” (2 Samuel 12:10-11), and they never did for the remainder of David’s life.

The Bible says that “God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light to our path” (Ps 119:105). When we learn to listen to God’s Word, it shows us which way to go and keeps us from tripping over what we can’t see.

Wouldn’t it be great if we learned to listen to God before we get sprayed by a skunk?  Before we stumble into pornography or adultery.  Before we get hit by a car because we rushed headlong into traffic? God will always love us and is always willing to forgive us, but nobody likes tomato juice baths.

Learning to listen means quieting your heart and your mind to focus on God’s voice. It means being intentional and faithful in your relationship with him. It means a daily habit of learning from his Word and paying attention to what he’s saying.