Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord jesus Christ, and make no provisions for the flesh to gratify its desires

Listening

Jeff Ostema

8/20/20253 min read

I’ll never forget the day I went fishing in the thickest fog I’d ever experienced. You could barely see past the bow of the boat. Every now and then we’d hear voices off in the distance, an engine rumbling, or the lonely sound of a fog horn marking the channel. The air was heavy, so sound carried far.

But you could always hear the channel marker at the entrance to the channel. The thought of getting back home in that fog was unnerving, but I remember my dad saying: “We just go east, we go slow, and we listen for the channel marker, and we’ll be fine.”

Then came a surprise. Out of the fog, not 20 feet off our bow, a Coast Guard cutter suddenly appeared. Just as quickly, it vanished back into the fog.

Not an hour later, the fog lifted, and to our surprise, there were at least a hundred boats all around us. We’d been fishing for hours in the fog and never saw a single one—except the Coast Guard.

That day I was struck by how much we could hear when we couldn’t see. And that fog horn at the channel marker? It gave us bearings. It was the one sound that told us where we were, no matter how lost the fog made us feel.

Listening in a World of Noise

We live in a world that conditions us to watch more than listen. Our attention is glued to screens—YouTube, Instagram reels, endless streaming. Listening, really listening, doesn’t come naturally anymore.

Adam McHugh writes: “Hearing is an act of the senses, but listening is an act of the will.”

And our walk with God depends on it. Listening, reflecting, hearing His voice, and talking with Him is at the heart of faith.

All through Scripture, God calls His people to listen.

  • At the Transfiguration, God the Father said: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!” (Mark 9:7).

  • Before His parables, Jesus often began with “Listen!” (Mark 4:3).

  • He ended with: “Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 13:9).

Listening is more than hearing words. It’s attending. Responding. Obeying. James 1:22 says: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Just like in that fog, there are a hundred noises competing for our ears. Some are harmless, some distracting, and some will lead us off course. We must tune our ears to God’s voice—like that fog horn that kept us on track.

The God Who Listens

Here’s what we sometimes forget: God not only calls us to listen to Him—He listens to us.

Prayer is not talking into the air. It’s speaking to the God who bends down to hear us. Psalm 86:1 says: “Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer.” Psalm 31:2 says: “Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue.”

The picture is of a loving Father leaning in close to catch every word His child says. The Creator of the universe bending down so He can hear you.

  • Elijah prayed, and God answered with fire (1 Kings 18).

  • Hannah prayed silently, and God heard her (1 Samuel 1).

  • Peter prayed the shortest prayer in Scripture: “Lord, save me!” and Jesus reached out immediately (Matthew 14:30–31).

Isaiah 65:24 says: “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”

Our God listens. Our God responds.

The Shape of a Listening Life

When we listen to God and know He listens to us, it builds trust. It deepens intimacy. It reminds us our faith isn’t built on what we see, but on hearing and responding to His Word.

Samuel learned this as a boy in the temple. After God called his name three times, he finally prayed: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:9). That prayer set the tone for the rest of his life.

If our spiritual ears are tuned to Him, even in the fog, we’ll hear His direction. And when we call out to Him, we can be confident He bends down to hear us.

A Challenge for You

Listening doesn’t happen by accident—it takes intention.

  • Slow down. Make space each day to hear God’s Word.

  • Speak honestly. Pray, knowing He hears you.

  • Respond quickly. When God speaks, act.

Because the One who calls us to listen is the same One who listens to us.