Whoever has ears, let them hear. (Matt. 13:9)
Some things may improve with age, but hearing is usually not one of them. At least that has been true for me. Occasionally I have been accused of selective hearing—either intentionally not listening or intentionally not hearing. But I have the excuse of deeper systemic problems that have damaged my hearing. I have ears but they do not always hear.
A tired mother may sleep through a racket outside but wake with the slightest sound coming from the baby’s room. She is tuned in to her child, and her ears are sensitive to any sound coming from her child. Tired fathers have often been accused of pretending to sleep through those same middle-of-the-night crying sessions. They have ears but many profess not to hear!
Our spiritual life revolves around issues of our ears and hearts. It seems there is a spiritual nerve that runs between the heart and the ear. If the heart is spiritually insensitive, a person does not hear the things of God. If the ears are sensitive to the Word and voice of God, the heart can respond to it. What we need are sensitive ears and sensitive hearts—to hear the Word of God with our ears and to do the will of God with our hearts. We need ears that hear.
Turn up your spiritual hearing aids; listen for the voice of God.
Ken Heer was an ordained minister with The Wesleyan Church prior to his death. He served as a pastor, educator, and church leader for more than fifty years.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
