by Peggy Rice
I recently got new hearing aids. I’d had my old ones for a little over 7 years. Since that time, the technology and design of hearing aids had changed, improved. While mine still worked, there were features that would help my hearing that the current pair just didn’t offer. And my current pair was finally to that age where it wasn’t going to be able to keep up with my hearing loss as I grow older. The original pair was designed for low to mid loss, but my hearing loss is moving to lower levels, more severe loss. I needed a tool that would keep up with me for the years to come.
My new hearing aids are rechargeable. No more pinkie-nail-sized batteries to replace every week. Now, I just put the bases of the aids in little slots in the box, and a blinky light comes on, telling me that they’re charging. Long before I get up the next morning, they’re ready to go.
As I take them from the charger and put them in my ears, there’s a little chime that sounds from them – they’re on. And I can check the app on my phone to make sure both are at capacity and the volume is adjusted correctly.
It’s amazing to me – all that I can hear when I put them in my ears. Sounds I didn’t even realize I was missing!
If the windows are open, I can hear our fountain in the back yard, gurgling and bubbling. I can hear birds chirping at the feeder. I can hear cars driving down the street. As I move into the kitchen, I can hear the dishwasher running. I can hear my cat Henry, who has the quietest “Mew,” as he greets me. All these sounds were silent to me, before I put in my hearing aids.
I think there’s a parallel here, with hearing what God has to say to me. How do I hear Him, especially since He often speaks in a “still, small voice” (I Kings 19:12, KJV)? Some translations say “a gentle whisper.” What are my “hearing aids,” that let me hear God’s voice?
A steady intake of God’s Word is the first “hearing aid.” If I want to know what God says, I need to read His Word and learn His will. I need to know about His character and the things that please Him. I will be able to live the way God calls me to live, if I know what it is, and I do that by being reading the Bible daily.
There are lots of ways to do that – simply pick up a Bible and start reading! But to be honest, I am more consistent if I follow a plan, so I read devotionals and Bible plans on my Bible app (the YouVersion Bible App is my favorite – you can find it at the Apple Store or the Google Play Store). This tool even opens to a daily verse and short devotional, followed by guided prayer. And it’s on my phone – right at my fingertips!
There are also a gazillion devotionals available, on this app, or at the library or bookstores. Several that I’m using now are Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling and Jesus Today, and Paul David Tripp’s New Morning Mercies. There’s the classic by Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest. In fact, many respected Christian authors, preachers, and teachers have written devotionals. Just pick one that includes Scripture – that is not just the authors’ thoughts. The point here is to be reading God’s Word.
Ok, so reading God’s Word consistently in one “hearing aid.” Another is worship. And worship is not just singing songs. It’s about focusing on who God is – His character, His attributes – and praising Him for those. It’s not about asking for things. It’s about God. Taking time to get to know who He is. And, surprise, surprise, that takes me back to “hearing aid” one, because I’m going to learn about God by reading His Word!
Listening to Christian music – my own playlists or the local Christian radio station, help me in this area throughout the week. And on the weekends, worshiping in a church with other believers is a great way to recharge my “hearing aid” – corporate worship is so uplifting!
A third “hearing aid” is being with a community of Christian believers. Spending time around people who love the Lord and long to put Him first in their lives rubs off on me. I am challenged, and encouraged, and supported in a group of fellow Christians. For me, I get this through my Fresh Hope Support Group – these are folks who, like me, face a mental health challenge – either their own, or a loved one’s – and we meet regularly to share stories and prayer requests and discuss God’s working in our lives as we walk this mental health journey. To find a Fresh Hope Support Group, check out freshhope.us, and look for a group in your area or one that meets online.
I also participate in a Women’s Bible Study at my church, and a weekly prayer group, as ways to find support in Christian community. Again, there are all kinds of resources online, if you can’t find them in your local community.
My “hearing aids” for hearing God: consistent Bible reading, worshiping God for who He is, and Christian community. These tools allow me to know what God says – about Himself, about how He sees me, about how He wants me to show my love to others. I learn to hear Him, in His “gentle whisper,” as He works in my life to shape me to look more and more like Jesus.
Peggy has been involved with Fresh Hope as a Group Facilitator for 5 years and as the Hope Coach trainer for 3. You can reach her at peggy@freshhope.us
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