Proverbs 22:17Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my instruction.Proverbs Daily is a reader and listener supported program. Every post is free, but if you’d like to help spread the message and make the sacred positively contagious consider being a free or paid subscriber. Just look for the word upgrade or subscribe and click on that. Thanks in advance!Anybody out there into chopper rap? I’m talking like Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Yellawolf, RA the Rugged Man, and my personal favorite, Tech N9ne. These artists spit bars so fast, they make your head spin. Tech N9ne once rapped 11.2 syllables per second in his track Worldwide Choppers! RA the Rugged Man packs that insane wordplay into each verse. And Eminem? Yes Em broke records with “Rap God,” dropping 156 words in just 16.3 seconds.I remember an elder once telling me, “I can’t listen to that kind of music; my ears ain’t fast enough for it!” For real though! It takes time to train your ears to catch every word, every nuance and put it all together in real-time. But once you do, the rhythm, the flow, the message—it all clicks. My old friend was right, YOU JUST HAVE TO TRAIN YOUR EARS TO HEAR IT.Proverbs 22:17 says: “Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my instruction.”There are three rapid–fire steps here:* I love that word ‘Incline’ – because it implies doing something physical, this isn’t just a mental awareness of words in the air…other translations use the word ‘bend’ or ‘bow’ your ear. It means postering your attention to easily catch wise words.* You have to Listen – Really listen. Familiarize yourself with the rhetoric, the phrases, the cadence, of wise people. This requires partnering with the Spirit and tuning your inner ear to catch what matters most.* And then Apply your heart– Take what you’ve heard and integrate it into your everyday life. At first it may feel foreign, awkward, or even silly to speak these ancient words and ideas, but over time you develop a “knack for knowing” that resounds from the heart.Think of it like learning to enjoy chopper rap: you can’t catch all the words at first. You’re not supposed to. You slow it down, repeat it, lean into it. The same goes for wisdom. Incline your ear, tune in, and practice applying what you hear. Over time, your mind gets familiar with discernment, and insight—just like it gets familiar with the fast flow of a Tech N9ne verse.Training your ear isn’t just about understanding words. It’s about hearing life rightly, noticing the subtleties, and responding faithfully. Your ear, your heart, and your life become aligned, and suddenly the wisdom you once struggled to grasp becomes second nature.Remember:" If you don’t incline your ear, wisdom will slip right past you."🙏🏽 PrayerGod, I incline my ear–I open my heart: speak.💡 Today’s Challenge:Spend 5 minutes actively listening—to a person, a podcast, or even your own thoughts. Don’t just hear, lean in. Take one insight and apply it in the next hour. Train your ears, and your heart will follow.About the AuthorFred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch📱Experience Proverbs Daily by Subscribing!Ready to receive daily wisdom directly on your phone?Go to proverbsdaily.org for the app or just click that Subscribe button right now!Be Wise and Be Well...peace.Thanks for reading Proverbs Daily! This post is public so feel free to share it.
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