By Betsy Childs
I live a stone's throw away from a railroad track. Trains pass by throughout the day and night, blowing their whistles as they approach the crossing. Although the blast shakes my house and rattles the dishes in my cupboards, most of the time I sleep through it or ignore it. It is not that I am hard of hearing; rather, it has become such a familiar part of my day-to-day life that I tune it out.
Jesus ended many of his sermons with the puzzling little charge "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Many who heard this appeal would have connected it to the prophets who talk about ears that do not hear. Isaiah said to the people of Israel, "You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing" (Isaiah 42:20). Likewise, Jeremiah asked,
"To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed
so they cannot hear.
The word of the LORD is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it" (Jeremiah 6:10).
There are two kinds of ears that do not hear: ears that have never heard and ears that have learned to tune out certain sounds. When we preach the Gospel to people who have never received it, we pray that God will give them ears to hear and hearts to receive his message. But if we have already received it, we need to pray that we would have ears that continue to hear, that do not filter out that which is familiar or convicting. How could we ever become deaf to the truth that has transformed our lives? We gradually tune it out and relegate it to our subconscious, even though it is as startling and powerful as an ongoing locomotive.
But we do not have to tune out sounds just because they are familiar. I have used the same alarm clock for three years. Although it barely makes a tiny chirp, it jars me from sleep because I've trained myself to pay attention to it. We read in Proverbs 18:15 that "The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out." If we want to be wise, we need to fine-tune our spiritual ears so that they become especially sensitive to the truth.
In fact, some types of sounds become more meaningful as they become more familiar. Music aficionados learn to distinguish harmonies and themes running throughout a piece, and their enjoyment grows the more they listen. Mothers generally become attuned to the sound of their child's voice; even though there may be dozens of mothers in a crowded store, they know right away when it is their child crying out for them.
It is my prayer that we, as followers of Christ, will become just as sensitive to his voice—that it would become more precious as it becomes more familiar, and that our appreciation of the depth and intricate beauty of his Gospel would grow as we listen attentively. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Taken From A Slice Of Infinity.
