Hearing — God Gave Us Ears

"The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them." — Proverbs 20:12

Our Second Sense

Yesterday we learned about seeing — the wonderful gift of sight God gave us through our eyes. Today we will explore our second sense: hearing!

Think about all the sounds you have heard already today. Maybe you heard an alarm clock, a parent's voice, birds singing outside, or water running. Sounds are all around us, and God gave us ears to hear them!

How Do Our Ears Work?

Sound is made when something vibrates — that means it shakes back and forth very quickly. When you pluck a guitar string, it vibrates. When you speak, parts inside your throat vibrate. When a bird sings, its throat vibrates too.

These vibrations travel through the air like invisible waves. When they reach your ears, your eardrums catch them. Your eardrum is like a tiny drum inside your ear. It vibrates when sound waves hit it. Then it sends a message to your brain, and your brain tells you what the sound is!

All of this happens in less than a second. God designed your ears to work perfectly!

Kinds of Sounds

Sounds can be described in many ways:

Loud and Soft

• Loud sounds: thunder, a lion's roar, a fire truck siren
• Soft sounds: a whisper, a kitten's purr, rain falling gently

High and Low

• High sounds: a bird tweeting, a whistle, a baby's cry
• Low sounds: a rumble of thunder, a bullfrog's croak, a big drum

Fast and Slow

• Fast sounds: a woodpecker tapping, rapid clapping
• Slow sounds: a church bell ringing, long notes on a flute

Sounds in Nature

God's creation is full of beautiful sounds! Close your eyes and imagine these:

• Birds singing — God gave each kind of bird its own special song. A robin sounds different from a crow, and an owl sounds different from a sparrow.
• Water flowing — A babbling brook, ocean waves crashing, rain pattering on leaves.
• Wind blowing — A gentle breeze rustling the leaves, or a strong wind whistling through the trees.
• Insects buzzing — Bees humming near flowers, crickets chirping at night.
• Thunder rumbling — The voice of God's power in the sky! "The God of glory thundereth" (Psalm 29:3).

The whole earth is filled with sounds that praise God! "Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD" (Psalm 150:6).

Listening Carefully

Just as we practiced observing carefully with our eyes, we can practice listening carefully with our ears. Good listeners notice sounds that others miss.

Try this: sit very still and close your eyes for one minute. What do you hear? You might hear a clock ticking, the wind outside, a dog barking far away, or your own breathing. When you listen carefully, you discover a world of sound!

What This Teaches Us

1. God designed our ears — They catch invisible sound waves and turn them into messages for our brain
2. Creation sings to God — Birds, water, wind — nature is full of sounds that praise the Creator
3. Listening is a skill — We can practice being better listeners
4. God speaks to us — He wants us to listen to His Word, just as we listen to the sounds He made

A Thought to Carry

The next time you hear a bird singing, remember: God designed that bird's voice. He gave it a song to sing. And He gave you ears to hear it! What a wonderful Creator we have!

"Be still, and know that I am God." — Psalm 46:10