SUMMARY: Listen up!
OVERVIEW: Four times Elihu reminds Job’s friends to “listen” and “pay attention.” Elihu proved to be a good listener, but his speech was unkind.
BIG IDEA: The most underrated communication skill is listening.
KEY VERSE: Job 34:4 (Elihu to Job and friends)
So let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.
IF GOD WROTE YOU A LETTER
Continue to develop your listening skills. Learn to hear my voice and learn to listen to others. Don’t focus so much on what you want to say that you stop listening to me and others. Allow a pause in your conversation. If the other person doesn’t give you a chance to talk, don’t be foolish and attempt to talk over him. No one wins a war of words, especially when neither person is listening.
There will be many times when you are correct, and you feel stuck listening to someone who won’t admit he is wrong. Don’t be a bully. Don’t try to impress him and others with your sound logic or knowledge. Instead, build a bridge. Be a friend. Be full of grace. And when someone is suffering, he already knows his condition. Don’t remind him of his pain or what he could have done differently. Be a friend. Listen. Love. Be present.
NEXT STEP
Listen before you speak, and if you talk, do so with care and love.
MUSIC VIDEO