[Jesus] called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
LUKE 8:8
It’s uncanny to me how I can be at a playground with my girls, send them off to play, and if one of my daughters calls for me, I’m able to decipher her call instantly among the throngs of screaming, excited children. When Catie or Sophia yell for me, I can hone in on their voices and respond immediately.
We all have this ability with certain voices and people in our lives, don’t we? As our bodies age, however, our ability to hear and interpret sounds can diminish, and everything can start to sound muddy and indecipherable.
We are exhorted throughout Scripture to constantly have an ear inclined to the voice of the Spirit. In order to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives, we need to be able to decipher his voice above all the other voices vying for our attention Let’s be real: never in history have we been overwhelmed by so many voices. There are 7.3 million new pages being added to the World Wide Web today, and even more will be added tomorrow. One thousand books will be published today, and the total of all printed knowledge will double in the next five years. If we were to start reading right now, and continue reading for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, we would never catch up with everything being written. There are five billion instant messages that will be sent today. Our world will make available more information in the next decade than has been discovered in all of human history. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
So pardon the graphic illustration, but we must ensure that we regularly remove the “wax” from our spiritual ears that can build up over time, so that our ability to hear God’s voice is not dulled. If we fail to monitor the other voices screaming for our attention, we can inadvertently miss the voice of God. Ultimately, this is the only voice that will lead us into our destiny.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
Are your ears open to God’s voice?
Who do you listen to each day?