Hear God’s voice | Listen and do
Series: Simple. Quiet. Present. | Bible text: Luke 8:4–21; Matthew 7:24–27
People live from God’s word – but the decisive factor is how we listen. Jesus makes it clear: true hearing always leads to action. Those who receive God’s voice and live accordingly build their lives on a firm foundation. Those who only hear but do not act lose spiritual substance. That is why the following applies: hear, believe, do – this is how God’s work in our lives becomes visible.
Emperor Frederick wanted to find out the common original language of all people. To discover this, he started a series of experiments. He wanted to observe in which language children began to speak to whom no one had spoken before. A chronicle from the year 1268 reports: «And therefore he commanded the wet-nurses and nurses to give the children milk, to bathe and wash them, but in no way to prettify them or speak to them.» He was curious to see whether the children would speak Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Arabic or the language of their parents. But the attempt failed tragically: all the children died.
On the outside, they had everything they needed to live. Food, care, protection. And yet they died. Why? They lacked the most important things: the speech, the loving care, the spoken word.
This example shows something profound: People don’t just live from what they get – but from what they hear.
True hearing as the basis of life
«Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord» (Deuteronomy 8:3 New Testament).
If we do not hear God’s voice, something dies in us – perhaps not our body, but our faith. Our inner life becomes weak, powerless, empty. It is therefore crucial that we prioritise listening to God’s voice.
But how does this hearing happen? The Bible describes it like this: «For you have not received a spirit of slavery, that you should fear again; but you have received a spirit of adoption, by which we cry out: Abba, dear Father! The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God.» (Romans 8:15f LUT).
God doesn’t just speak to us from the outside – He speaks to our innermost being. His spirit communicates with our spirit. Sometimes God speaks in a very concrete and guiding way. Sometimes He comforts us. Sometimes He corrects us. But regardless of the content, each of His messages carries a deep, identity-forming truth: You are my beloved child.
As with the baptism of Jesus: «This is my beloved son, in him I have great joy» (Matthew 3:17 NLB). This promise always resonates when God speaks.
And that changes everything. When we not only know this truth, but accept it inwardly, much of what burdens us loses its power. Worries, fears and insecurities begin to recede when we know who we are in God’s eyes.
True hearing becomes visible
But that’s just the first step. It’s not just about what we hear – but how we hear. Jesus explains this impressively in the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4–15. The seed is the word of God. The different floors represent different types of hearing:
- Some hear, but the devil takes the word away.
- Some listen with joy, but have no root.
- Some listen, but worries and wealth stifle the word.
- Others hear, keep the word and bear fruit.
The seed is always good. It does not depend on the quality of God’s word. The crucial question is: What is the soil of our heart like? As listeners, we bear responsibility. Our heart must be ready to receive the word, to preserve it and to allow it to grow.
Immediately afterwards, Jesus uses another image: the light. «Nobody would light a lamp and then put something over it or put it under the bed. No, lamps are placed where everyone who comes in can see them» (Luke 8:16 NLB).
This means that what God speaks into us should become visible. It is not meant to remain hidden. True hearing does not remain invisible. It shows itself in life. The greatest gift that Christians can give this world is not perfect programmes or impressive words – but people who hear and are changed by them.
Then Jesus gives a very serious warning: «So look now how you hearFor whosoever hath, to him shall be given; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he thinketh he hath» (Luke 8:18 LUT).
It’s not just about the fact that we hear – but how we hear. These words show two possible developments:
- Whoever truly accepts the word → will be given more.
- Those who don’t really accept it → even lose what they think they have.
This is a warning against superficial listening. We can hear God’s word, find it interesting, agree with it – and yet it remains inconsequential. And that is precisely what is dangerous. The Bible describes this condition as spiritual dullness. Isaiah 6:10 speaks of ears becoming dull of hearing. Interestingly, we are also familiar with this principle from psychology. Our brain has the ability to habituate. We are constantly exposed to stimuli. If we were to consciously perceive them all, we would be overwhelmed. Our brain therefore learns to block out unimportant stimuli.
This can also happen spiritually. If we keep hearing but don’t act on it, our inner self learns: «This has no consequences.» What we hear is categorised as unimportant.
We listen to sermons, read Bible texts, receive impulses – but don’t put any of it into practice. And over time, something dangerous happens: We become unreceptive. We still hear – but it no longer reaches us.
Jesus puts it drastically in a nutshell: «But whoever listens to me and not is a fool; he is like a man who builds a house on sand» (Matthew 7:26 NLB).
True listening leads to action
So what does real, correct hearing look like? Jesus answers this question not only in theory, but in practice. Luke 8:19–21 tells us that his mother and brothers come to him but cannot get through to him because of the crowd. They say to him: «Your mum and brothers are outside and want to see you» (Luke 8:20 NLB).
His answer is surprising: «My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do God’s word» (Luke 8:21 LUT).
That is a radical statement. It’s not about external proximity. Not about origin. Not about religious affiliation. This alone is decisive: Hearing God’s word – and acting accordingly. This is how true discipleship is recognised. A person who listens like this is promised amazing things:
- She belongs to the family of God. This reminds us that His Spirit testifies to our spirit that we are God’s children.
- It bears visible fruit – like a field that yields a hundredfold (Luke 8:8).
- And she builds her life on a firm foundation. This brings us full circle to Matthew 7: the difference between rock and sand is astonishingly small – it is the little word ’not». He who hears God’s word and does it is building on a rock, he who hears God’s word and does not do it is building on sand. Outwardly, both can look similar. But the difference becomes apparent in the storm.
The Bible makes it clear time and again that listening and obeying belong inseparably together. In the biblical languages, both are in the same word.
Abraham is an impressive example of this. It is said about him: «Abram set out as the LORD had commanded him» (Genesis 12:4 NLB). This is the core of his faith: he heard – and he went.
The letter to the Hebrews summarises it like this: «By faith, Abraham obeyed when God told him to leave his homeland and move to another land that God would give him as an inheritance. He left without knowing where his path would lead him»(Hebrews 11:8 NLB).
Abraham didn’t always understand everything. Many things didn’t make sense. And yet he trusted God. This is shown most clearly in the story in which he is asked to sacrifice his son. After 25 years of waiting for the promise, God asks him to take a step that is incomprehensible to humans. And yet we read: «Abraham got up early the next morning […] and set off for the place God had named to him.» (Genesis 22:3 NLB). Why? Because he had learnt that God’s voice is trustworthy.
At important points in my life, God has spoken so clearly into my life that the question is no longer what God’s will is, but only whether I am willing to obey. If we want to build our lives on rock, there is no way around it. Of course, there are also situations in which we are uncertain. We don’t know exactly what God’s will is. Then we can act to the best of our knowledge and belief and trust God to guide us.
True hearing is not an acoustic process. It is an inner process that shapes our lives. We live from God’s word. We receive our identity from it. And we show through our actions that we have truly heard. In the end, it all boils down to this simple but challenging truth: It is not he who hears who grows – but he who hears and acts.
Possible questions for the small groups
Read the Bible text: Luke 8:4–21
- Where have you recently had the impression that God has spoken to you – and how have you dealt with it?
- Which «type of soil» (Luke 8) do you most recognise in your life at the moment – and why?
- Is there something that you know God has shown you, but you haven’t realised yet? What is stopping you?
- How can you make sure that what you hear is also visible in your everyday life?
- To be honest, are you currently building your life more on rocks or on sand – and how does that show in practice?
