As an almost deaf individual, I obviously struggle
with hearing everything around me. I no
longer can listen to the birds that I know sing outside my window each morning,
the crickets that chirp at night, rain pounding on the roof during a storm, simple
car alarms warning about my gas gauge and the list goes on. I also can’t hear
people anymore that talk to me. I do have hearing aids and when they are in I know
who is talking but discerning the words they are trying to say is difficult as
it sounds muffled so I must rely mostly on lip reading.
However, just because I can’t hear what
people around me are saying doesn't mean that I am not able to hear what God is
saying. There are times when I don’t hear God at all, my “hearing aids” are not
in and I am deaf to His voice. Usually these times are caused by me not
focusing on Him and what He has to say. Then there are the times when I listen
to God like I do with my hearing aids in, knowing that He is trying to speak to
me but I can’t quite make out the words. I could “read His lips” and figure it
out if I want to but during those times I don’t want to. It is more of the
defiant attitude of me not feeling like to listening to what God is trying to
tell me because I want to do it my way right now.
Neither of those options will ever work
because my heart is not in the right place at the time to pay attention to what
He is saying. Also, I want to point out
that even though I am very hard of hearing in the physical world, my spiritual
ears will never be impaired on me or anyone for that matter. They are always in
working order and it important to remember that if we are not hearing God’s
voice that we are always the problem, not Him.
I would also like to express the difference
in hearing and listening. I may not be
able to hear what people are saying, but I can listen to what they say. The
same thing applies to God. There are times we hear what God is saying, but we
choose not to listen to Him. Both are important, we must first open up our spiritual
ears to hear, but after hearing, we need to listen to Him and obey. The Lord
wants to bless our lives and give us the hope and peace that can only be found
in Him, but in order to have it we must hear and listen like the verse says
above. Only then can we truly walk in the path of Christ.
Lord, I pray that You would open my
spiritual ears so that I may hear what You are trying to tell me. I pray that You
change my heart and help me not only hear Your words, but then to submit to You
and have a receptive and obedient heart so that I listen to those words. I want
to walk in the plan You have for me in life, not my own. Please help me to both
hear and listen Lord. I pray this in Your precious name, Amen.
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