All those who have ears, let them hear!
by Maria Rudolph
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You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen (Isaiah 42:20).
Have you ever explained something to someone but later felt like saying to them, ‘You just don’t get it’?
Jesus was in the same boat a lot of the time during his earthly ministry. Of the people listening to his teaching, Jesus said they were ‘ever hearing but never understanding, ever seeing but never perceiving’ (Mark 4:12). Jesus wasn’t the first to have this problem. What Jesus said was a quote from the prophet Isaiah (6:9). God had often had this problem before Jesus ever set foot on earth.
What God wants from his people, from us, doesn’t sound too hard to understand: love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbour as ourselves. The tricky thing is that it is really hard to put into practice daily.
Might God be feeling like muttering, ‘You just don’t get it!’ about us? Of course, God is bigger than that. He is filled with grace and patience for all those eye-rolling, cringe-worthy moments where we act as though we’d never held a Bible in our hands before.
Listening to God brings us life. Next month’s General Convention of Synod takes its theme from Isaiah 55:3: ‘Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live’. Jesus himself advised: ‘All those who have ears, let them hear’ (Matthew 11:15). In the strength of Christ, let us daily listen to God and seek his help in understanding his word.
What is God saying to you today? Take some time to listen.
Loving God, I want to listen to you. Make me quiet and receptive to seek and listen to your voice. Give me ears to hear and truly pay attention to what you say. Open my eyes to perceive you through your word and in my sisters and brothers around me. I need you every hour, and I’m so grateful you are always by my side. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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