All Creatures Great and Small: Listening

We gather around the strange and clear story of Balaam and his donkey to relearn what it means to listen. We watch God place an angel in the road, a donkey notice the danger, and a human miss what lies before him. We notice how familiarity with divine voice can blind us to other channels of revelation. We learn that God can speak with blazing clarity, and yet also works through quiet, awkward, or unwelcome messengers so that we must widen our hearing. We practice listening like we practice Legos or Simon Says; we read instructions, we practice, we quiet our bodies, and we learn from those who hear differently than we do. We accept that listening does not equal obedience. We open our ears without surrendering judgment immediately, so that discernment and humility can follow hearing. We confess that most of the time God shows up in lives that do not look like our expectations, and we commit to curiosity as the posture that allows empathy to form. We take seriously the claim that prevenient grace reaches people before they name it, so we approach neighbors with the assumption that God already moves in them. We refuse to set up walls of assumed superiority that mute God speaking through those we dislike or dismiss. We practice asking what God might be saying to someone else and allow that question to reshape ministry, conversation, and decision making. We aim to be a people who listen broadly, who test what we hear against Scripture and prayer, and who respond with humility and thoughtful action. We will keep our hands ready to serve, our minds ready to learn, and our hearts ready to be surprised by God’s voice appearing in unexpected places.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Learn to listen beyond ourselves We name how our habits of spiritual hearing narrow what we perceive. We commit to listening to neighbors, strangers, and even those we disagree with so that God’s movement beyond our expectations can become visible. This posture protects us from mistaking our own certainty for final truth and opens us to correction and blessing. [52:15]
• 2. God speaks through unexpected voices We accept that God uses unlikely messengers to warn, guide, and bless. We stop privileging only familiar patterns of revelation and pay attention when someone outside our circle points to God at work. We practice treating surprising testimony with thoughtful curiosity rather than instant dismissal. [47:46]
• 3. Curiosity fosters empathetic listening We cultivate curiosity as the root of true empathy. We ask questions to learn why others think or feel as they do, and that sustained curiosity dissolves easy judgment and creates space for mutual transformation. We allow empathy to shape how we respond, not simply how we feel. [56:55]
• 4. Prevenient grace invites humble attention We hold the conviction that God is at work in people before they know it. We approach neighbors with a humility that expects divine activity already present, which reorients mission from convincing to discovering and companioning. We let that expectation temper our impulses to correct and sharpen our desire to listen. [59:29]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:08] - Series and Opening Prayer
• [30:45] - Hymn and Greeting
• [31:06] - Simon Says and Listening Game
• [32:25] - Introducing Balaam and His Donkey
• [46:15] - Balaam Meets the Angel
• [47:46] - The Donkey Speaks
• [52:15] - Listening to Others
• [56:55] - Curiosity and Empathy
• [59:29] - Prevenient Grace and Application
• [61:15] - Creed and Closing Prayer

1. In Numbers 22:21-31, what three actions did the donkey take to avoid the angel, and how did Balaam respond each time?
2. How does the sermon compare practicing listening to playing Simon Says or building with Legos? [34:01] [31:06]
3. What does the story reveal about Balaam’s assumptions about how God communicates, even though he was a prophet?
4. According to the sermon, why is curiosity essential for empathy, and how does it relate to the story of Balaam? [56:55]

1. Why do you think Balaam, a prophet who clearly heard God’s voice earlier in the story (Numbers 22:12), failed to recognize the angel blocking his path?
2. The sermon states, “Listening does not equal obedience.” How does this distinction play out in the story of Balaam and his donkey? [55:05]
3. The donkey asks Balaam, “Is it my habit to treat you this way?” (v. 30). What does this question reveal about the importance of trusting relationships when discerning God’s voice through others?
4. How might Balaam’s familiarity with divine communication have blinded him to God’s message delivered through an unexpected source? [51:06]

1. What is one practical way to “practice listening” this week, like following Lego instructions or playing Simon Says? How could this help you notice God’s voice in unexpected places? [34:24]
2. Think of someone you disagree with or find difficult to listen to. How might approaching them with curiosity (instead of judgment) open you to see God’s prevenient grace at work in their life? [59:29]
3. When has a “donkey moment” happened in your life—where God used an awkward, unwelcome, or surprising messenger to get your attention? How did you respond initially, and what did you learn?
4. The sermon warns against mistaking “our own certainty for final truth.” What is one belief or assumption you hold tightly that might need to be tested through listening to others? [52:15]
5. How could your small group cultivate a habit of “listening broadly” to neighbors, strangers, or those outside your faith community? What tangible step could you take together?
6. Reflect on a time when you obeyed without truly listening (or listened without obeying). How could discernment and humility have shaped your response differently? [55:23]