At work we communicate over two-way radios. Every once in a while you’ll hear somebody say, “Hot mic! Hot mic!” This means that somebody has accidentally keyed their radio, and as long as that button is held down, nobody else can communicate. One person has the whole channel tied up.
Sometimes we have a hot mic in our conversations. We’re so busy talking that nobody else can get through. We have something to say, another story to tell, another point to make, another answer to give.
But you can’t actively listen while you’re talking.
And listening isn’t just being quiet while you wait for the other person to stop talking so you can start again. That’s not listening. That’s waiting for your turn.
And if you’re trying to minister to someone, listening is important. Sometimes we are so quick to give an answer, quote a Scripture, or tell someone what they need to do that we never really hear what they are saying. You may have the right answer, but if you haven’t listened, you may be answering the wrong question.
Eli did this with Hannah. He saw her lips moving but couldn’t hear her voice, and he immediately assumed she was drunk. He didn’t stop and ask what was wrong. He didn’t ask why she was acting that way. He simply made an assumption and started speaking.
But once Hannah was allowed to speak, Eli learned what was really going on. She wasn’t drunk. She was a woman carrying tremendous sorrow and pouring out her soul before the Lord. Once Eli listened, his response changed. Instead of rebuking her, he was able to give her an appropriate answer.
Eli’s first response is a good example of the wisdom found in Proverbs: He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. (Proverbs 18:13 KJV)
Sometimes we can’t properly minister to someone until we’ve listened long enough to understand what they’re actually dealing with.
You can’t minister effectively if your mic is always keyed. Sometimes you have to let go of the button and listen.
Somebody once said that God gave us two ears and one mouth. Maybe that’s a pretty good reminder that we ought to spend more time listening than talking.
Solomon said, Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. (Proverbs 17:28 KJV)
Sometimes the wisest thing we can contribute to a conversation is silence long enough to actually hear what somebody else is saying.
So next time you’re in a conversation, try to listen. You might just learn something.
James 1:19 (KJV)
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
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