A Pause to Ponder God's Word
"Ears to Hear"

The city man was showing his rural friend around New York City. As they walked along the busy boulevard the rural man said, "I hear a cricket." The city dweller responded, "That's impossible. With all these city noises there is no way you could have heard a cricket." The farmer told his friend that it was not only possible, but he would prove it. He proceeded to take out a hand full of change from his pocket and drop it on the ground. When the coins hit the sidewalk everyone around them stopped and looked to the ground. The farmer looked at his surprised friend and said, "See, what you hear depends on what you're listening for. I heard a cricket."

 Jesus often postscripted His teaching and preaching with, "He who has ears, let him hear." This is a penetrating statement in a day when noise has reached pollution level and louder is considered better. It is not an easy task to hear what is truly important when the inconsequential screams so loudly. It is difficult to hear the Lord's voice, when our ears have been trained to listen to other things. We hardly listen to each other, let alone listen to God. Our conversations are more often a vying to be heard, rather than a time to hear. And we have "selective hearing" down to a science.

 In John 10, Jesus tells us that “His sheep listen to His voice and they follow Him because they know his voice.” A newborn lamb does not instantly recognize the shepherd's voice. The shepherd cares for the lamb, calls it by name, feeds, protects, corrects, and trains the lamb. Both time and discipline are involved in getting the lamb to the place where it responds only to the shepherd's voice and runs away from others. So it is with us.  Hearing and recognizing our Lord's voice does not come automatically. We must learn to listen and recognize His voice. Only as we place ourselves in specific places and times where God speaks will we hone our ears to hear His voice through the everyday clatter. As one once said, "He who ceases to worship and listen to God in a specific place during a specific time with God's specific people will soon cease to worship or hear God anywhere or anytime."

 When we enter into worship, are we attentive? Are we listening for the Lord voice? Or are we so concerned about the type and way they are doing the music that we miss His voice? Are we listening for mistakes and problems? Are we attentive only to what we want to hear? Are we like those that Paul warned Timothy about when he told him "a time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine? Instead... they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear?" Who and what are we listening to? God's sheep listen, recognize and heed His voice

 Over the years of playing competitive basketball I was often ask if the screaming crowds bothered me. The fact was that they didn't. I really wasn't listening to the crowd. My ears were tuned to hear one voice - the coach. It seemed that it made no difference how loud the crowd got, when he yelled to me I heard him. Day after day in practice the coach would teach, direct, correct, and train his players. We, recognizable even amidst the noisiest crowds, knew his voice. So it must be with our Lord and us. He won't yell at us, but, we, by His Spirit, can become so tuned into His voice that even His quietest whisper will get our attention.

 Let him who had ears to hear - hear!

Keep Close To Jesus
Pastor Gerry


A Pause To Ponder God's Word is written and distributed by Gerald Whetstone, Ordained Elder and teacher in the Church of the Nazarene. These devotionals may be transmitted, duplicated, used in part or in entirety without permission for nonprofit purposes only. Responses welcome. To Subscribe Click Here.
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