Listening to God Heals

The benefits of listening to God

God speaks to us and it is important to listen to him. Listening to God heals (cf. Mt 8:8), gives life and joy: ‘When your words came to me, I devoured them; they were the joy of my heart’ (Jer 15:16). Unfortunately, we do not always listen to God, or we do not listen properly. If I listen genuinely

the Word of God, it will lead me to holiness. Through the commandments, particularly the first, God speaks to his people. ‘Hear, O Israel,’ he says when addressing his people. People no longer listen to God. ‘I sent all my servants the prophets to you… But you did not listen; you did not obey me’ (Jer 35:15). God’s servants no longer listen, for they are preoccupied and overly busy. Even when they do listen, it is only half-heartedly. Yet the more we listen to God, the more we are able to do things that please him; for in reality, he is the architect of life. If I live according to my own ideas—which I sometimes deem logical—I bump my head and hurt myself, or I go astray.

Listening to God to live out his Word

Living according to what God asks of us helps us to lead a successful life and to build his kingdom well. ‘You will do even greater things’ (Jn 14:12). The Virgin Mary listens to and is attentive to God: she lives out the Incarnation of Christ. Personally, I pray that God will help me not to neglect listening to his Word, because often our listening is disrupted. The Lord wants us to cleanse our spiritual ears and He calls us to Him so that we may listen to Him attentively once more; hence the need for retreats, times of reflection, silence and Lectio Divina.

A retreat: a favourable time for listening

A Christian or a member of a Christian community (such as the Word of God Group) who neglects retreats by saying: ‘I don’t have enough time; I know what will be discussed, it’s not very important; I’ll go next time’, will gradually find their spiritual life becoming stagnant and damaged, and risks doing far more harm than good. A good member will therefore never miss an opportunity for spiritual renewal, nor any retreat, as they need these to listen to God and to help others listen to Him. Indeed, a good member seeks out retreats and organises them for others. Whenever God calls us to listen to Him, we must make arrangements that allow for true listening. These are moments of silence. St Basil said: ‘Silence is a prerequisite for encountering God’. Recently, a passage from Scripture touched me; its resonance in my heart grew ever stronger. It was as though God had turned up the volume of this call within me. I realised just how much I had been neglecting this aspect of God’s Word in my life of late. So I have made a resolution to start living according to God’s will once again.

When you truly listen to God, you do not grow old in your spiritual life, for the Word touches you; every teaching speaks to you and helps you to love Jesus. According to Pope Francis, ‘The Spirit rejuvenates! It is sin that causes us to grow old!’ ’ He also says in *Christus vivit*: ‘Everything Christ touches becomes young.’ The prophet Isaiah said, ‘Morning after morning, the Lord makes me listen, so that I may listen like a disciple’ (Isaiah 50:4). When we truly listen to God, we drink in his words; they are like honey on the tongue (cf. Ps 119:103). When we listen to Him, we take care to be silent and to open our hearts to the Word that calls out to us; we then take deep prayer and sincere conversation with God seriously.

It is not by repeating words endlessly that our prayers are answered (Mt 6:7–8): we must listen to God. Listening to God and doing what He says is the key to having our prayers answered; and even if He does not grant us what we wish, we trust Him by bearing the situation as a cross. If we truly listen to God, blessings will pour down upon us and our families. Let us speak to Him regularly. Retreats are an opportunity to converse with God, to listen to Him and to make decisions to do His will.

Henri Bayemi