Ears that Hear

 

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 8:4-8 ESV).

 

It seems a lot of the illustrations I’m beginning these devotionals come from physical conditions or aging. Well, perhaps that’s simply because that’s where I find myself these days. I have found that a lot of spam and junk mail (yes, I still receive some of that) deals with some infirmity associated with getting older. Just the other day I received a card in the mail with the promise of $100 in discount toward the cost of a hearing exam and purchase of hearing Aids. Well, forget that I may need them for a moment; I do think we all have some degree of difficulty listening, if not hearing.

 

In many homes the family often discusses the sermon after a Sunday worship service. For obvious reasons that was not the practice in our home. My feelings may be a bit too sensitive to do that. However, there may be some important conversation that could be had if we practiced a form of this regularly. Perhaps one of the parents might simply ask a question like “What did you think of the pastor’s message (or in more contemporary language, “the talk”) today?” It might spur some questions that would further anchor an important spiritual principle in their lives. It is important to train ourselves to listen when we gather for worship so that we might more easily hear what the Lord has to say to us.

 

According to the Lord Jesus, listening is crucially important: “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Or, as Jesus says after telling another parable, “Consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18). Listening to God’s Word is a tremendous privilege, but it’s also a great responsibility. And someday you and I as hearers of God’s Word will have to give account for how we have listened and what we have done with what we have heard.

 

Listening can be difficult. After preaching for over 50 years, I am discovering that listening is often more difficult than teaching or preaching. Again and again I find myself reminding myself to ask, “What did I hear the Lord say to me? How will it affect my life? What am I going to do about what I have heard?” That’s what really matters. How’s you’re hearing?