In an age of nonstop noise—of constant streams of media, workplace demands, and the pressures of life—it can be hard to discern God’s voice amid the digital and social clutter. Even the good things, like relationships with friends and family, can become distractions.
“Hear,” O Israel
Jesus knew this. In Matthew 22:37–40, when Jesus’ disciples asked Him what the most important commandment of all was, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, to “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” By highlighting this as the central command for His followers, Jesus was pointing them back to the very foundation of their faith.
Therefore, Jesus’ disciples knew the words that come right before this command in verse 4:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
These ancient words in Deuteronomy 6:4–5 remain central in Judaism today—so much so that Jewish people around the world pray them several times a day.
The Shema
This Jewish prayer is called the Shema, named so because shema is the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4—and it’s the crux of everything that follows in that passage.
Shema means “to hear” or “to listen” in English. However, the Hebrew meaning is much deeper than perceiving sound. Shema means listening with the intent to obey—to act. It is not passive hearing or listening but an active commitment to take what one hears and respond. In Jewish understanding, if we hear God but don’t do what He says, we haven’t really “shema’ed.” This commitment to listening is woven into the very fabric of Jewish life; it is the first prayer taught to a Jewish child when they start speaking and the last prayer a Jewish person is taught to say on their deathbed.
Shema Is About Relationship
In the Shema, the command to “listen” or “hear” is the gateway to loving God. When we actively listen—prepared to obey—we demonstrate that we love Him alone with all our hearts, souls, and strength.
Verses 6–9 continue by instructing the children of Israel to keep this instruction on their hearts, impress it on their children, and talk about it at home and while walking along the road. They were to “tie” these commands on their hands and foreheads and write them on their doorposts. This was to be more than a weekly ritual, but a total immersion of their daily lives in God’s presence.
Jesus took this concept of being wholly immersed in God’s presence to its ultimate fulfillment, where He invited His followers to “abide” in Him:
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4–5)
Listening is the active process of hearing God’s voice and obeying, but abiding is the result. It is the choice to remain in God’s presence and let what we “hear” from Him, as we pray and meditate on His Word, drop from our heads into our hearts—so they can take root and transform us. If we abide in Him, He says He will abide in us. This “abiding” is more than a one-time act; it’s a continual, 24/7 rhythm that mirrors the ancient call to keep His words ever-present.
A Relationship above No Other
At its core, shema implies relationship. It is moving from the duty of hearing God’s command to the intimacy of remaining with a friend. Jesus said in John 15:15 that He no longer calls us servants but friends, and just a few verses later, said:
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. (vv. 9–10)
Notice the order: if we keep God’s commands, the act of shema, we will remain in His love. God wants this intimate friendship with us, and He wants us to care enough about that relationship to listen to Him—to long for that quiet time to hear His still, small voice.
Conclusion
Listening, obeying, and abiding is the antidote to the noise of this world. I encourage you today to fight against earthly distractions and set apart time daily to be still before God to shema—so that you can hear from your Friend, ready and willing to obey whatever He says.
