God still speaks.
Through His Word.
Through His Spirit.
Through the silent cries of people who sit in our pews every week.
But while Heaven speaks, the Church often drowns it out with noise. We have become busy with sound, yet careless with listening.
We say, “Speak Lord,” but when He speaks through pain, through scandals, through those who feel invisible, we act as if we didn’t hear.
God is not deaf.
But His people have grown hard of hearing.
🎵 Noise Without Discernment
The rhythm of drums, the chorus of tongues, the echo of sermons—these shake our buildings, but rarely shake our hearts.
We overlook the faint voices around us:
A teenage girl scared to confess her struggle.
A young man enslaved by addiction, who wishes someone would notice behind his forced smile.
A widow wondering how she will survive another month.
A faithful worker drowning in depression while carrying the weight of others.
Their whispers are often more sacred than our shouts.
If we do not pause to hear them, we risk losing them.
🔕 The Danger of Selective Hearing
The Church has developed filters. We amplify what benefits us and mute what burdens us.
We hear tithes more clearly than tears.
We clap at prophecy but fall silent at accountability.
We rush to send missions abroad while ignoring brokenness within our own walls.
But true ministry requires more than selective hearing.
Jesus Himself said, “My sheep hear My voice.”
A shepherd who cannot hear is a danger to the flock.
📖 Jesus Modeled Listening
When the bleeding woman touched His garment, Jesus stopped.
When Bartimaeus cried out, He stood still.
When children were dismissed, He drew them close.
Listening was not weakness—it was His ministry. It was His power.
Why then do we think rushing past people makes us more “anointed”?
The Church must slow down.
Look into eyes.
Hear the pain beneath the “I’m fine.”
Ask questions, not just give instructions.
This is not extra work.
This is the work.
🚨 How Do We Start Listening Again?
1. Create spaces for honesty – small groups, open forums, counseling corners, where people can speak without fear of judgment.
2. Train leaders to discern beyond words – pastors, ushers, youth leaders should be sensitive to emotional and spiritual cues.
3. Respond with action, not just prayers – sometimes, listening means helping with food, therapy, rent, or accountability.
4. Re-center on Scripture – the Word teaches us to “bear one another’s burdens.” If we are too busy performing, we will miss this call.
5. Invite the Spirit’s whisper – listening is not only horizontal (to people) but vertical (to God). The Spirit still speaks, if we quiet our noise.
✝️ A Final Call
God is speaking—through empty seats, through the fatigue of leaders, through young people quietly walking away.
He is asking the Church to return to the posture of listening.
If we keep drowning out His voice with our noise, we will lose not just members but the very essence of why the Church exists.
It is not too late.
We can repent.
We can retrain our ears.
We can tune our hearts back to the Shepherd.
Because God is not deaf.
The question is—will His Church learn to hear again?
About the Author
Nancy Gyamera-Amoako has a background in Public Relations.
📩 Email: [email protected]
