By Carol Round —
“For this nation’s heart has grown hard, And with their ears they hardly hear, And they have [tightly] closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, and turn [to Me] And I would heal them [spiritually]”—Matthew 13:15 (AMP).
A friend and I were recently talking about our hearing. I don’t recall how our conversation led to this topic. But we’ve both experienced improved hearing after our physicians discovered a buildup of wax in our ears, requiring a cleansing of the ear canal.
It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but it was worth being able to hear more clearly without the need for hearing aids. She and I are both in our late 60s.
I’ve been around others whose hearing loss has resulted in the use of hearing aids, including older relatives. Sometimes, even after my ears have been flushed out, I still find myself turning up the TV volume. I’m hoping hearing aids aren’t in my future.
Would Hearing Aids Make a Difference?
How many times have we ignored that still, small voice convicting us of our sin? In my early walk with the Lord, He sometimes had to hit me over the head with a 2 x 4 when I ignored the red flags He was waving. My spiritual hearing needed cleansing. Hearing aids wouldn’t have helped in this case.
As the world has become louder and filled with distractions, noisy environments make it harder for us to hear from the Lord and to focus on what is most important. A relationship with Jesus Christ. Our spiritual being needs healing.
In Matthew 13, Jesus shares parables with a large crowd on the shore. When the disciples question his use of hard-to-understand illustrations in His teachings, He explains the need to partially obscure the truth from the crowds. Many of the people, including the religious leaders, refused to believe Jesus was the Messiah despite hearing His words and seeing the miracles He performed. Their hearts had grown hard. They could barely hear with their ears, and their eyes were closed. Otherwise, they would need to repent.
Obscuring the Truth Today
Another recent discussion with a neighbor led to our lamenting the state of our country and our world. We’d grown up when life was simpler and people didn’t put political figures, athletes, and Hollywood stars on a throne, worshipping them instead of our Savior and Lord.
We’ve forsaken our first love—God. Have we also forgotten how much God loves us? He loved us before we loved Him. Remember 1 John 4:10? “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (NIV).
We, as a country, have turned away from the truth of Jesus Christ. We’ve forsaken Him. Our ears and eyes are clogged with worldly ways. We’ve become obsessed with social media and conspiracies, having nothing to do with Biblical truth.
Sharing the Truth
As my neighbor and I shared our God stories, we found something in common. Asking for and receiving opportunities each day, we share God’s truth with others. We pray for open hearts and ears, and for eyes to be opened when they hear the Good News.
Jesus commanded us to share the Good News. We might struggle with what to say and fear rejection, but we need to remember the apostles’ fervor despite the risk. They were rejected and ultimately killed for spreading the love of Jesus Christ.
However, our world desperately needs to hear the good news, the best news ever—God’s truth. For us to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ, we must keep both our ears and eyes open. Ask God to help you listen for His voice and to hear what you need to know about Him. Then, go and make disciples for Jesus Christ.
