Listen and Learn

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
James 1:19-20

I love the straightforward approach of James. His writing is easily understood, although it is not always easy to practice. Be quick to listen. Be slow to speak. Anger does not produce righteousness. The implication is that listening will produce more righteousness than anger. It’s hard to argue with that – although if you are prone to anger you probably will anyway. Most of the time when I read the words of James 1:19-20, I have applied them to my relationships with others. I believe that is an accurate application of the verses. However, I believe the principle holds true for our relationship with God. George MacDonald writes that “most Christians learn at an early age how to talk to God, but they did not learn to listen as well.” What would happen if I spent more time listening to God today? What will God reveal through His word to me? What will God reveal to me about the world around me? What will God reveal about the condition of my heart? It’s relatively easy to talk to God. It’s challenging to listen. What does this have to do with anger? Many times our anger rises up when others do not behave the way we desire. Through the years I have had a lot of experience with people who are angry with God. Our anger with God is almost always because God is not behaving the way we desire. When we do all the talking, it’s much easier to grow angry. Practice listening to God. What is God saying through these two verses?