Long sermons and revival

A logical follow-on to the Word of God being read is that people need to listen!
Our ears are funny things, aren't they?
Just because they work doesn't guarantee that we hear.
Like my grandma used to say, while shaking her head and smiling, sometimes it is "in one ear and out the other." And it doesn't linger for very long in the gray matter in between! (Grin)
Sometimes we can be in the same room with someone, and not hear what they are saying to us. We can even look at them. We can nod and it will seem to them that we both heard and understood what they said.
But ask us in thirty seconds what we heard and what we nodded and agreed with? We will stare like a deer transfixed by oncoming headlights -- and then have to shamefacedly admit that we haven't got a clue. Not a clue.
Maybe we were thinking about the last text message we saw on our phone.
Maybe we were thinking about the email we needed to send.
Maybe we were thinking about how to answer something that was just said.
Maybe we were thinking about what we'd rather be doing!
In the same way, it's possible to hear the Bible read (or preached about) and not hear a thing. Our minds are elsewhere.
Kinda tells us why God made us with two ears that can't be closed. And one mouth that can be closed. Am I right?

Remember when Jesus talked about our ears?

Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Mark 4:9)

"Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.” (Luke 8:18)

The Bible is how God speaks to us -- certainly we need to listen reverently to what He is saying! For us to experience spiritual renewal, we must reverently listen to His Word.
The people in chapter 8 of Nehemiah were in a marathon reading, preaching, and teaching session. They were attentive and reverent -- lets look at the verses again:

 And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. 5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.  (Nehemiah 8: 3c, 5-6)

The people are attentive. They also stood up as the reading began - as if to greet an important or royal visitor. Then they bowed down . . . they were not worshiping the actual scroll that Ezra and his assistants were holding, but they were worshiping the God Who had given the words of that scroll. If we can, as they, keep our reverence for God and the awesome fact that He is speaking to us through His Word, we will pay attention to what He says. If we forget that these are the words of the living God for us, our minds will wander to other things. (And yes, our human preachers can sometimes be a bit boring. But we can direct our minds to the text and ask the Lord to show us what He wants us to learn.)
Recently I have been studying Charles Spurgeon; I find his life and his sermons truly inspiring. I have a book printed in 1892 that details his life, and of course, we can find his sermons and lectures in many books and online. Many of his lectures were published, too, and I find these even more interesting, as they often reveal Spurgeon's common sense, wit, and homey speech more than his sermons do.
In one of his lectures, he told of Rowland Hill, an 18th century preacher, greatly used of God, visiting with an old friend. The friend came because of Hill's imminent death, and told him that he could still remember the verses and part of a sermon that Hill had preached, some sixty-five years earlier! "What do you recall?" asked the old preacher. "You said that some people listening to a sermon will complain that they don't care for the delivery of the speaker, the way he speaks."
"Then you went on to say, supposing that you went to hear the will of one of your relatives read. You were expecting an inheritance from him. You certainly would not criticize the manner in which the lawyer read the will! You would be all at attention, to hear whether anything was left to you . . . and if so, how much! That is the way to hear the gospel preached."

So very true!
We'd be hanging on every word, wouldn't we? Especially if we were strapped financially, and had no way of paying our debts?
Well, we have no way of paying the debt of sin that we owe to our holy Father God. He sent His Son to redeem us from our sins and our inheritance is eternal!
When the Word is read, we should reverently and attentively listen. Spiritual renewal will follow close behind the reading and preaching of His Word!