What do these passages from the Word tell us about the importance of hearing the Lord in His Word?
- “Incline your ear, and come unto Me; hear that your soul may live (Isaiah 55:2-3).
- “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
- “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 11:15).
- “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28).
- “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63)
- It is through the Word that the Lord is present with a person and conjoined with him, for the Lord is the Word, and as it were speaks with the person in it (Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 78).
Readings about hearing the Lord’s Word
- “The Word as the Lord” by Glenn Alden (ages 7-14)
The Word is the Lord, talking to you, teaching you, helping you to understand what is good and right. - “The Word” by Prescott Rogers
The Word is the Lord because it is His Divine message to the human race. If a person wants to know the Lord and come to understand and appreciate Him, he must go to the Word, either directly (through reading) or indirectly (through listening). - “The Word of the Lord” by B. David Holm
We are called by the Lord to come meet Him in His Holy Word, to reach for higher truths to guide our lives.
Projects and activities for all ages
- Listen! To the Lord’s Word
Explore ways to help children and adults listen to the Lord's Word. - Blessings: Hearing the Lord
Two blessings to say at mealtime, including: “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey” (Joshua 24). - Sowing Seeds of Truth chart
Draw a golden seed (or put a gold star) in a square of this chart whenever you read or hear the Lord's Word. - Wreath of Seed-bearing Fruit (all ages)
Make a wreath or ribbon hanging with various fruits, adding a piece of fruit each time you use the seeds of truth the Lord has given us. - "The grass withers, the flower fades..." Poster (teens)
Illustrated poster of the quotation in Isaiah 40: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever." - Preparing Our Minds (for teens and up)
Explore ways we can prepare our minds to receive true ideas from the Lord's Word.
Encouraging children to read the Word
Parents can help their children develop the habit of reading and listening to the Lord’s Word. This creates opportunities for seeds of truth to find fertile soil in their lives.
Here are a few suggestions that may be helpful:
- Read the Word together as a family. If you have young children, choose stories they will enjoy hearing. Introduce the story before reading it aloud. Discuss key aspects of the story such as people in the story, the time of day, and what happens in the story. You may wish to use Bible illustrations to help your children picture the story.
- Encourage individual reading of the Word. Give children a copy of the Word when they are first learning how to read. Help them make a special place in their bedrooms for keeping the Word. Encourage your children to read the Word every day, even it is just a small portion.
- Teach your children that the Word is the Lord speaking to us and that it teaches us how to follow Him so that we can go to heaven. It is important to hear or read from the Word every day because the more we read the Word, the more the Lord will help us understand it. And the angels are happy when we read the Word!
For more ideas and inspiration on this topic, read Teaching Our Children to Listen to the Lord’s Word by David R. Simons.
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