I watched (and listened to) an interesting video, on-line, a few days ago on the subject of Hearing and LISTENING. As I listened and took a few notes, I began to think and apply it to what the Word of God says about Hearing and Listening in the Spirit. Julian Treasure, the speaker from Oxford England is a popular lecturer and an expert in the field of hearing, listening and sound. His opening comment, ‘Sounds we hear have an important effect on our lives and health”, I took the liberty to translate for my own benefit and added….’and especially our Spiritual lives.’ The Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing (spoken) the Word of God .”
Dr. Treasure says that the world is sound and we are all vibrating. That made me think of the Scripture in Romans 12:11 that says, “Never flag in zeal, but be aglow with the Spirit, and serve the Lord.
He goes on to say that most of us have become so used to suppressing (sounds, noise) that we don’t think much about what we’re hearing, OR ABOUT HOW WE LISTEN.
Another interesting point that he made was that we adopt listening positions, which can be a useful set of perspectives that help people to be more conscious and effective in communication……”BECAUSE LISTENING CAN BE JUST AS POWERFUL AS SPEAKING.” He cites REDUCTIVE Listening position which is listening FOR something, often a point or solution. And EXPANSIVE listening position, just enjoying the conversation or the speaking and allowing it to flow over you, with not much concentration. Dr. Treasure states, “when unconsciously done, this mismatch causes a lot of arguments or mistakes, misinterpretations and miscommunication.
Jesus talks about this in His parable of the Sower. Matthew 13:18-23 Hear then ye the parable of the sower. When any one hears the word of the Kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the evil one, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side. And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that hears the word, and straightway with joy receives it; yet has no root in himself, but endures for a while; and when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, straightway he stumbles. And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that hears the word; and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that hears the word, and understands it; who verily bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Julian Treasure says that other listening positions include judgmental/critical; active (counselors, therapists, educators, teachers); passive,(some students J); meditative and so on.
Schizophrenia…I thought this particular point was well taken, also.
This word describes a state where what you HEAR and what you SEE are unrelated!! This word was coined by Murray Schafer, intended to communicate unhealthiness or un(soundness). He explained it like someone carrying on a conversation as if the listener isn’t there…sort of a one-sided dialogue…which is really a monologue.
But the part that intrigued me was the incongruity of this point. And I apply it to lessons from the Scriptures.
What you Hear (coming out of their mouths) is not what you SEE (manifested in their lives) Jesus says in Matt. 23:3,” So you must obey them and do everything they tell you from the law of Moses, but do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”
We meet folks like that often, Some of their proclamations that we hear them speak out of their mouths is not what we see in their lives.
Some final points that he made were: a) Listening is an acquired skill and must be practiced. b) Natural silence is good for you. c) Sound can heal.
I think about the Word of God being a healing agent that penetrates the soul and stirs up faith. Or beautiful music and Gospel hymns that minister to distraught hearts and souls, like David’s harp playing, soothed the distress of King Saul. Even the evil spirits were quieted and controlled by David’s anointed psalmody.
The Word of God and The Music of Heaven…Sounds that HEAL.
thedailylily.com 
I like the sound of nature. I love to hear birds, frogs, crickets, farm animals and other sounds that God’s creation gives to the World….
OH,yes. Sitting by the pond, during the day and listening to the varied bird songs or in the twilight, when the peepers (that look like they are blowing bubbles) come out or the bull frog who has a “basso profundo” voice that echoes from one end of the pond to the other.
I love the sound of ducks and geese,the comedic opera of nature. How God thought up all these creatures with their incredible songs and sounds is waaaay beyond human comprehension. But it is for us and we are grateful for our Creator’s “creativity”!!
Yes those nature sounds are so much better than the TV I also love the ocean sounds and all the birds of the air there. I also love to hear the sounds of praise to God whether spoken or sung.
All God’s Critters Got a Place in the Choir
By Bill Staines
All God’s critters got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands, or paws
Or anything they got.
Listen to the bass, it’s the one on the bottom
Where the bullfrog croaks and the hippopotamus
Moans and groans with a big to-do
The old cow just goes MOOOOO
The dog and the cat pick up the middle
While the honey bee hums and the cricket fiddles
The donkey brays and the pony neighs
And the old coyote howls
All God’s critters got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands, or paws
Or anything they got.
Listen to the top where the little birds sing
On the melody with the high note ringing
The hoot owl hollars over everything
And the jaybird disagrees
Singin’ in the night-time, singin’ in the day
Little duck quacks, and he’s on his way
The possum ain’t got much to say
And the porcupine talks to himself
All God’s critters got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands, or paws
Or anything they got.
It’s a simple song of livin’ sung everywhere
By the ox and the fox and the grizzly bear
Grumpy alligator and the hawks above
Sly raccoon and the turtle dove.
All God’s critters got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands, or paws
Or anything they got.
Very creative. It seems God’s sounds astound the imagination!
In order to hear all these wonderful sounds of nature often one has to get quiet themselves…turn off all the other sounds around us and purposefully pay attention. I also like silence so am glad to read that ‘Natural silence is good for you’. God must think so too:
“But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.” Habakkuk 2:20
Sound can be noisy noise and can be very annoying and unhealthy as well.
“Some of their proclamations that we hear them speak out of their mouths is not what we see in their lives.” Would it not be what comes out of their mouth is what is in the heart!
Well, Jesus said that out the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So if
“one” speaks a good speak but doesn’t DO it then he/she must be a liar because the mouth is speaking one thing but TO them IT IS A LIE BCZ what they say is not true FOR THEM. It is a truth, but for them it is NOT TRUTH
If I say, “OH! I love my neighbor because God said to love her and God’s Word is truth, so I love her/him. But then I behave in a snobby, haughty, prideful, selfish way….. I have lied about loving my neighbor. So out of the abundance of the heart the mouth lies even if it pretends to spout truth.
Jesus said, “Not everyone who cries, “Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Matthew 12: 34 American Standard Version
Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Gill’s Exposition on this verse:
O generation of vipers,…. Though they boasted of their being the seed of Abraham, yet their immediate ancestors were no other than vipers, deceitful, hurtful, poisonous creatures; and they were exactly like them: for though they made a fair show in the flesh, and outwardly appeared righteous, yet were inwardly full of the poison of wickedness, envy and malice; and which their pestilential breath, their blasphemy against the Spirit, fully discovered; and gave just cause and reason for so severe a reproof, and such resentment, as here made by Christ.
How can ye, being evil, speak good things? This is not to be expected, nor is it commonly and constantly done; an evil man may sometimes speak good things, or which seem to be so; but these are not his common talk; as he is, so, for the most part, is his language; his speech betrays him: and since these men were by nature evil, were destitute of the Spirit and grace of God, had no good thing in them, how should any good thing come out of them? And since they were so full of wickedness, spite and malice, it is no wonder that they belched out such blasphemous expressions concerning the miracles of Christ;
for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh: a phrase much like this is used by the Septuagint, in Ecclesiastes 2:15. “I spoke abundance”, or “much in my heart”; “for the fool out of his abundance speaketh”: as there is abundance of folly in him, there is much delivered out by him; and where there is abundance of wickedness in the heart, if the grace of God is wanting to restrain it, much of it will come out by the lips; as is a man’s heart, ordinarily is his language.
Regarding, ‘LISTENING CAN BE JUST AS POWERFUL AS SPEAKING,’ James 1 gives this advice from the Message version on listening power and doing:
“Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.” (vs 19)
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
“But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action. ” (vs 22-24)
Great verses Debi,
If we think of taking steps in our lives that lead to heaven, the verses says to me, we must be doers of the word. It seems that along life’s journey with the Lord that God works on one thing after another to expose sin and take these sin chains off that keep us from HIM. If we listen to HIM and wise Christian Counsel without getting angry and defensive, repent, and walk daily, step by step in the change of the WORD and wise counsel we will take a step forward and be set free. Jesus will fill us with his peace. We will then take a step closer to God. HE will then again expose something in our life that needs a change. Step by step with HIM acting on HIS WORD and wise Christian Counsel of those who HE has placed in our path.
This Sunday it was said in another way than steps up the ladder. The teacher said we are like SWISS Cheese. As the sins of our life are exposed – that’s the holes, Jesus comes along an fills them up with HIM until we are a solid piece – sold out to God.
MG,
I like all the wonderful sounds of nature, described here. I have a question….don’t we have to be still and quiet, in order to hear these wonderful sounds? God tells us in His Word to “Be still and know that I am God.”
What you describe Rena about taking counsel without getting angry and defensive shows humility. I like the way James 1:20-21 puts it from the Message:
“God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.”
I think it is very hard to take counsel and not be angry, ie if it applies to our situation. When light comes it can make one angry to think, ‘how did I not know this?’ ‘How have I been so deceived?” It is like waking up from a long sleep like Rip Van Wrinkle and that can make one angry. It may make you realize something may have been stolen from you, like your youth or years of waste. Just things we can’t get back. But, we can get better by healing.
I agree with you, Needles. I believe that if we would (or could) be still, we would hear not only hear the beautiful sounds of nature but…..remaining still long enough to hear the glorious sounds of Heaven, the whisper of the Holy Spirit
There’s a verse in 1Kings 19:11-12 that reads, “The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
The Lord was not in the Wind, nor in the earthquake nor in the fire but His is the soft gentle whisper, a gentle stillness……a still, small voice.
Hearing and Healing go hand in hand….