When Love Finds Its Voice And Ears
How Jesus Spoke—and Listened—from Union
Lord, may today I speak:
Words of hope,
Words that build up,
Words of comfort,
All interspersed with long bouts of listening. Mark
This prayer goes beyond good intentions.
It describes how Jesus lived.
Jesus did not speak from urgency or ego.
He spoke from union with His Abba.
And just as importantly—
He listened.
Jesus Spoke Words of Hope
Where others spoke verdicts, Jesus spoke possibility.
To a paralyzed man, He said, “Take heart.”
To a sinful woman, “Your faith has saved you.”
To weary disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”
Hope was not something Jesus manufactured.
It flowed naturally from His trust in the Father.
He spoke hope because He lived from the Father’s heart—
a heart that always sees beyond the moment.
Jesus Spoke Words That Built Up
Jesus’ words strengthened people rather than shrinking them.
He called fishermen “fishers of people.”
He entrusted ministry to those still learning.
He affirmed faith even when it was small.
Jesus didn’t motivate through pressure.
He built people up by calling out what was already forming.
That kind of speech doesn’t demand growth.
It creates space for it.
Jesus Spoke Words of Comfort
Jesus never rushed pain.
He wept at Lazarus’ tomb before He raised him.
He defended the woman caught in adultery before addressing her future.
He welcomed children when others dismissed them.
Comfort, for Jesus, was not weakness.
It was strength expressed through compassion.
He revealed a God who draws near before He calls forward.
Jesus Practiced Long Bouts of Listening
This may be the most overlooked part.
Jesus asked questions.
He paused.
He withdrew to be with the Father.
He listened—to people, to pain, to the Spirit.
Even with Bartimaeus crying out, Jesus stopped and asked,
“What do you want me to do for you?”
Listening was not a delay in ministry.
Listening was ministry.
Jesus lived attentively—because love always pays attention.
Union Made Audible
Jesus didn’t speak for the Father.
He spoke from the Father.
And He listened from the same place.
This is what union with the Trinity looks like when it finds a human voice:
Hope without denial.
Encouragement without pressure.
Comfort without fixing.
Silence without absence.
When we listen deeply and speak gently,
Christ’s life becomes audible through ours.
Reflection
Where might God be inviting you to listen more deeply before speaking today?
What words of hope, strength, or comfort might flow naturally from presence rather than effort?
How might trusting your union with God change the tone of your conversations?
Prayer