Now is the time..... To Test Your Hearing

....that is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don't really see, they hear what I say but they don't really hear, and they don't understand. Matthew 13:13 NLT


This past week Colin has been grappling with a blocked ear so has often been saying, "Sorry, what did you say?" We make jokes about 'domestic deafness" but sadly it is a reality. In our house we both have moments of not hearing what the other is saying (even when there are no blocked ears). It can be very frustrating when you know you've conveyed some information, instruction or request and it wasn't heard. Jesus ran into the problem of people not hearing the essence of what he was saying and he talks about it when he discusses the parable of the sower with his disciples.


There is something that counsellors call 'active listening' which is really the same as intentional listening. The hearer becomes an active part of the conversation by reflecting back what they have heard the person say. This shows that he is interested enough to 'digest' what is being said and also that he has heard correctly. That also means that the speaker needs to leave the listener time to reflect back. Not everyone is good at that!


The disciples were constantly with Jesus but often we read that they didn't understand what he was saying. The good thing that they did though was to stay tuned in and press him for explanations which he willingly gave. This should be a lesson for us; we need to not just read the Bible and think we've done our duty. It will only have benefit to us if we understand what we read. We should approach the word of God in the same way that the disciples related to Jesus. We should ask for understanding and revelation as we read, opening our spiritual ears to hear what God wants to convey to us. If we don't do this we will be like the people that Jesus spoke about in our verse above; we will hear but not really understand what is being said.


The other part is that we need to be obedient to any instructions that we feel God is conveying to us from our reading of the word otherwise we are only fooling ourself in our Christianity. James puts it this way in chapter 1 verses 23 - 25, "For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your apprearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law - and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (NLT)


Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive me to not always hearing what you are trying to convey to me. Help me to be more diligent in pressing in for understanding of your word and obeying it. Amen