How Does Safety Connect To Our Listening Ability?
“But all who listen to me will live in peace untroubled by fear of harm” (Prov. 1:33 NLT)
Many people live in fear today due to life’s problems, accidents, and uncertainties. God is aware of all these. He did not leave us as orphans. While you may not hear God’s voice clearly when you pray, he has still given you the Holy Spirit and scripture to know him.
It is worthy of note to see how our security and safety are connected to our listening ability. You may think you’re already a good listener. But there’s a sharp difference between hearing and listening! While hearing is simply the vibrations that take place in your ear, listening is how you decode those vibrations in your brain. Many times I’ve heard people said things at different times, but I didn’t listen.
Listening is a skill we all need to develop in our prayer life and relationships. Here are five tips to become a better listener:
Relax.
Learn to be calm in God’s presence and relationship with others. Eccl. 5: 1 says, “When conversation begins, don’t become defensive. If you’re patient, you’re wise”. You need to be patient with people who are less mature and those who misjudge.
Do not begin with judgment and criticism.
Let your evaluation start after you have comprehended it all. It may not be natural for some persons to hear out other people’s opinions. When someone else is talking and you hear something you disagree with, you’re tempted to say, “Enough! Stop right there! Let’s deal with this”. And you never make any progress. Pro. 1:8 says, “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish” (NLT).
Ask creative questions.
Pro 22:5 says, “Though good advice lies deep within the heart, a person with understanding will draw it out”. This verse says the real meaning of people is down inside of them. A person of understanding will be able to draw others out with questions.
Capture the most important.
You must be able to tell a person what they’ve just told you before you talk about what you need to talk about. Before you share your side of the story, you need to let the other person know you understand where he or she is coming from. Paraphrase what they’ve said back to them.
Brevity.
Learn to economize words. Brevity is clarity. As much as possible, make clear your watchword. People would love to come again because you keep your words simple and precise.
