Are You Listening to Me?

READ: PSALM 66:19-20; MARK 5:21-43; JAMES 1:19

You know the feeling when you’re having a conversation with someone, and then you notice them looking at their phone while you’re talking? When this happens to me, I’m tempted to stop and ask, “Are you listening to me?” Because I wonder if my words actually matter to them.

Listening is an important part of communicating, but we often take it for granted in our busy lives. Demands like homework, jobs, and extracurriculars fill our schedules. To stay caught up, we may try juggling several things at once. The problem is, all this multitasking can affect our ability to really listen and love others well.

Jesus was a good listener. In Mark 5, Jesus was on His way to save a twelve year-old girl who was close to death. You can imagine the girl’s father and Jesus’s disciples urging Him to hurry. But along the way, Jesus felt the pain of someone else near Him, and He stopped to help. The person in pain was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve long years. Jesus listened to her story and then said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over” (verse 34).

In this moment, and throughout His ministry, Jesus demonstrated how listening involves more than just hearing words. He paid attention. He let people know their value and responded in love. He even took time to listen as He suffered on the cross (Luke 23:39-43).

James 1:19 says we should be “quick to listen.” We can learn to listen and love others well as we remember that Jesus is always listening to us, always loving us. • Kristine Brown

• Can you think of a time someone truly listened to you? What was that like?

• How can listening to others well show the love of Jesus?

• James 1:19 tells us to be “quick to listen” and “slow to speak.” What could it look like for you to practice this in your own relationships?

But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Psalm 66:19 (NLT)