Dealing With The Mountain of Burnout
November 25, 2024
The Shema
Hearing God’s Voice in a Noisy World
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The Tale of Three Problems
Miles was sitting in his room, staring at his bank statement. His dream of becoming a documentary filmmaker had been put on hold—again. He’d spent months hustling freelance gigs, but the money never seemed to be enough to move forward. Worse, he was beginning to question if he even had the talent to succeed. “Why would God give me a dream if He wasn’t going to help me make it happen?” he thought, the bitterness rising.
And then there was Daniel. After his wife’s passing last year, he felt unmoored. The house they had shared for decades was now too quiet, too still. Once a leader in the community, Daniel had withdrawn, avoiding church and old friends. Grief had turned to numbness, and the faith that had sustained him for so long now felt like a distant memory. He wondered if it was possible to hear God’s voice again—or if he had forgotten how to listen.
Three lives. Three different struggles. One timeless answer: the Shema.
The Call of the Shema
In a world drowning in noise, how do we hear God? How do we make His words more than just commands—how do we let them shape our hearts, draw us closer to Him, and help us live in His love? The Shema offers us a way forward: to listen deeply, to live fully, and to rest in God’s presence.
What Is the Shema?
At its core, the Shema is both a declaration of faith and an invitation to a relationship. It is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and reads:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, NIV)
The Hebrew word Shema (שָׁמַע) carries layers of meaning. It is often translated as “listen” or “hear,” but it encompasses much more than passively perceiving sound. Shema means to listen attentively, to understand deeply, and to respond faithfully. Remarkably, it is also the only word for “obey” in Hebrew. This highlights a profound truth: in the Hebrew worldview, to truly hear God is to obey Him.
For the ancient Israelites, there was no separation between hearing and doing. If you were certain it was God’s voice speaking—if you recognized it as the voice of the Creator—obedience wasn’t just a duty; it was the natural response. Why wouldn’t you trust and obey the One who formed you, the One who knows what is best? To Shema is to recognize God’s authority and to live out His words, not as a burdensome obligation, but as an overflow of relationship and trust.
This prayer, central to Jewish daily life, calls us to center every aspect of our being—heart, soul, and strength—on loving and living for God. It’s not simply about following commands; it’s about being in a relationship where hearing and obeying flow naturally from knowing God’s voice and trusting His love.
Hearing the Shema: A Call Across Time
This was not merely a theological statement but also a covenantal commitment. At a time when Israel was surrounded by nations with their own gods, idols, and religious practices, the Shema served as a constant reminder to the Israelites of their distinct identity as God’s chosen people. It was a call to exclusive loyalty, urging them to reject the cultural and religious influences of their neighbors and remain faithful to the covenant God had established with them.
From its inception, the Shema became central to Jewish daily life. It was—and still is—recited twice daily, in the morning (Shacharit) and evening (Ma’ariv), as a core part of Jewish prayer. This rhythm anchored the people of Israel in God’s truth, reinforcing their commitment to Him at the start and end of each day.
The recitation of the Shema was also a family affair. Parents were instructed to teach it to their children, ensuring that each generation would grow up grounded in the faith and values of their ancestors. By binding the words of the Shema to their hands and foreheads and inscribing them on their doorframes and gates, the Israelites surrounded themselves with visible reminders of God’s presence and commandments. The mezuzah, a small case containing the Shema affixed to doorframes in Jewish homes, is still a symbol of this devotion today, serving as a tangible marker of faith and a source of protection.
Throughout history, the Shema has been a source of strength and security for the Jewish people, particularly during times of conflict, persecution, and exile.
Throughout history, the Shema has been a source of strength and security for the Jewish people, particularly during times of conflict, persecution, and exile. When faced with external threats or the pressures of assimilation, the Shema reminded them of who they were and to whom they belonged. In the face of oppression, the Shema became a defiant proclamation of faith in the one true God.
During the Babylonian exile, when the Israelites were removed from their homeland and surrounded by foreign gods, the Shema provided a sense of identity and continuity. It reassured them that, despite their displacement, God was still their Lord, and His covenant with them remained unbroken.
In the Maccabean Revolt (167–160 BCE), the Shema played a crucial role in uniting Jewish resistance against the Hellenistic ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who sought to impose Greek religion and culture on the Jewish people. The Shema became a battle cry for those fighting to preserve their faith, serving as both a rallying point and a declaration of defiance against idolatry.
Even in the darkest periods of Jewish history, such as the Holocaust, the Shema was often the final prayer on the lips of Jewish martyrs. It served as a profound statement of faith and trust in God, even in the face of unimaginable suffering and death. To recite the Shema in such moments was to reaffirm the unshakable belief that God’s sovereignty and love transcended the circumstances of this world.
A Tool of Resilience
The Hebrew word Shema (שָׁמַע) means more than just “listen”—it implies a deep, active engagement. It encompasses hearing, understanding, and responding. In Hebrew, there is no separate word for “obey”; to hear God is inherently to obey Him. This reflects the relational nature of the Shema: it is not simply about following rules but about cultivating a trust so profound that obedience flows naturally. In the Hebrew worldview, to hear is to act because the voice of God is authoritative and trustworthy.
This understanding of shema has profound theological implications. Early Church Fathers like Origen saw the Shema as a reflection of God’s unity and an invitation to understand His oneness—a foundational truth that shapes Christian theology. Augustine extended this idea, emphasizing that loving God with all one’s heart, soul, and strength is a transformative act, reshaping our being in response to God’s love.
Jewish thinkers like Maimonides underscored the Shema’s call for exclusive loyalty. In a time of scattered allegiances and external pressures, the Shema affirmed that the Lord alone is God and worthy of absolute devotion. Its recitation was a declaration of faith and a personal commitment to live in harmony with God’s will. R.W.L. Moberly highlights how the Shema serves as both an ethical and theological cornerstone, calling believers to align their everyday lives with the divine reality.
Tim Mackie of The Bible Project notes how the Shema bridges the gap between listening and trusting. To pray the Shema is to integrate faith into every aspect of life. It is a reminder that God’s words are not just commands but invitations into relationship. This is why the Shema commands the Israelites to teach it to their children, to bind it on their foreheads and hands, and to write it on the doorframes of their homes—it is a call to embed God’s presence into the rhythms of daily life.
If you hear God and are certain it is His voice, because you have come to know it, why would you not obey? God only wants what is best for His people.
Jesus and the Shema
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He quoted the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:29-30). But many Christians today miss the significance of what Jesus was saying. He wasn’t introducing a new idea—He was pointing back to this ancient and powerful prayer, a way of life central to Jewish faith and practice.
But Jesus didn’t stop there. He expanded the Shema, adding, “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31). In doing so, Jesus showed that loving God cannot be separated from loving others. The Shema is not only a call to relationship with God but also a call to reflect His love in our relationships with the people around us.
This connection is profound. The Shema invites us to hear God’s voice, and Jesus, the Good Shepherd, echoes this in John 10: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Just as the Shema calls us to hear and respond, Jesus reminds us that His followers will recognize His voice and respond with trust and obedience.
To pray the Shema is to align our hearts with the God who speaks and calls us by name. To follow Jesus is to live out this truth, hearing His voice and responding with love for God and others. It’s an invitation not just to obedience but to intimacy, to trust that His voice will guide us as we learn to walk in His ways.
How can we, as Christians, forget the one thing Jesus said is most important in all the law? Shema! Hear His voice. [Listen to Vinnie’s Podcast Episode on Shema and Jesus]
Practical Applications of the Shema
For us today, the Shema is still a powerful reminder that God calls us to hear His voice amidst the noise. It invites us to not only listen but to trust and obey, allowing God’s love to shape every part of our being. It is both a theological manifesto and a practical guide for living a life wholly devoted to God. The Shema calls us to take what we hear from God and integrate it into every part of our lives.
For Miles, loving God with all his soul meant facing the frustration and bitterness he had been holding onto. He’d spent so much time asking God for success that he hadn’t stopped to listen for God’s voice. One evening, he started journaling his doubts and turned to the Psalms, where he read how David poured out his own frustrations to God. The Shema’s call to love God with all his soul became a call to stop striving and rest in God’s presence. As he let go of his expectations and began to trust in God’s timing, Miles started to see his dreams as gifts to be stewarded, not just achievements to chase. His heart began to align with God’s purposes, and in surrendering his plans, he found deeper peace.
For Daniel, the Shema’s invitation to love God with all his strength came as a quiet whisper in his grief. One afternoon, he wandered into the empty sanctuary of his old church, uncertain why he was there. Sitting in the silence, the words of the Shema returned to him: “Love the Lord your God with all your strength.” At first, the idea of loving God with strength seemed impossible—what strength did he have left? But as he prayed, Daniel began to understand that his strength wasn’t measured by his accomplishments but by his willingness to trust God with his brokenness. He reached out to an old friend, joined a grief support group, and slowly began to find healing.
Through these small steps, Daniel discovered that loving God with his strength wasn’t about being invincible but about being vulnerable enough to let God work through him.
Conclusion
For Sarah, it meant rediscovering the peace of knowing God was with her, even in the chaos. She began to see the small, ordinary moments—like reading bedtime stories to her kids or comforting a patient—as sacred acts of love born from God’s presence in her life.
For Miles, it meant surrendering his expectations and finding joy in simply being with God. By aligning his dreams with God’s purposes, he found that hearing God wasn’t about having all the answers—it was about trusting that God’s voice would lead him, one step at a time.
For Daniel, it meant opening his heart to healing and learning to listen again. He found that loving God with all his strength wasn’t about being invincible—it was about being vulnerable enough to let God’s love work through him, even in his grief.
The Shema reminds us that God is always speaking. The question is: are we listening?
As you reflect on the words, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one,” consider where God is inviting you to love Him with your whole heart, soul, and strength. Maybe it’s in the quiet moments of surrender, the daily acts of trust, or the brave steps of faith to simply rest in His presence.
Will you listen? Will you respond?
Bibliography (Chicago Style)
- The Bible (New International Version)
The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. - Mackie, Tim.
Mackie, Tim. The Bible Project. Accessed at com. - Origen. On First Principles. Translated by G.W. Butterworth. New York: Harper & Row, 1966.
- Augustine. Confessions. Translated by Henry Chadwick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991.
- Maimonides, Moses. The Guide for the Perplexed. Translated by M. Friedländer. New York: Dover Publications, 2000.
- Moberly, R.W.L.
Moberly, R.W.L. Old Testament Theology: Reading the Hebrew Bible as Christian Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013. - The Shema and Jewish Tradition.
Hertz, J.H. The Pentateuch and Haftorahs: Hebrew Text, English Translation and Commentary. London: Soncino Press, 1960. - Holocaust Testimonies.
“Jewish Faith and the Holocaust: The Role of the Shema.” Yad Vashem, accessed online. - Historical Context of the Shema.
Rendsburg, Gary A. Israelite Religion and Biblical Theology: Collected Essays. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2011. - The Bible Project: Tim Mackie’s Insights on the Shema.
Bible Project. Shema: Listen. Accessed at bibleproject.com.
In-Text Citations
- For references to Tim Mackie:
“Tim Mackie of The Bible Project emphasizes that shema implies a holistic approach to listening…” (Bible Project, 2021). - For historical context:
“The Shema was given to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land…” (Rendsburg, 2011). - For theological insights from Church Fathers:
“Early Church Fathers like Origen saw the Shema as a reflection of God’s unity…” (On First Principles, Origen). - For Jewish tradition:
“The mezuzah, a small case containing the Shema affixed to doorframes in Jewish homes…” (Hertz, 1960). - For Holocaust usage:
“Even in the darkest periods of Jewish history, such as the Holocaust, the Shema was often the final prayer on the lips of Jewish martyrs…” (Yad Vashem).
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