Do You Hear What I Hear?

Recently while reading through Luke 8 I noticed how the headings that editors have added to the text can actually distract us from the continuity of the text. Verses 4-21 have a common thought, yet many Bibles break it up into multiple sections.

Verses 4-15 talk about the seed being sowed. In this and in the parallel passage in Matthew 13, Jesus explains that He is talking about how people respond when they hear the word of the kingdom. Those who truly hear the Word are those who act on it and bear fruit. Verse 16 at first seems to be a new thought, but really is just an example to illustrate what He has just said. Those who are hearing and are bearing fruit are lights shining in the darkness. If we’re hiding the light, we are failing to obey what we’ve been told. Then in verses 19-21 Jesus reiterates that those who hear His word and do it are part of His eternal family.

The question I’ve been asking myself is whether there are things God has told me to do that I am not doing. Am I really listening to what He has to say? I’ve been convicted on that this week in one particular area. I had made a decision based on human logic and didn’t really seek God’s will. It seemed pretty straightforward at the time, but there were unexpected complications that made me reverse the decision. What I heard from various Scriptures was “Are you going to trust Me with this?”

In the Bible there are many references to hearing and listening. The book of Proverbs alone has more than thirty admonitions to listen to God and His wisdom. “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance” (Proverbs 1:5 ESV). We all tend to hear what we want to hear. We listen to people who affirm our preconceived notions, while often ignoring those that challenge us.

We need constant exposure to words of truth. As Jimmy Needham wrote, “You cannot love [God] with all your heart, soul, and mind without a steady diet of Scripture.” I would suggest that should include both reading and listening. We need to see the words on the pages of our Bibles, but we also need to hear it taught and explained in the fellowship of a local church. I am continually surprised by the statistics of how many people who call themselves Christians don’t read the Bible and/or don’t participate in weekly worship. Some of them may one day hear the dreaded words, “Depart from Me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). If we aren’t hearing and following, can we really say that we know Him?

As we prepare for a new year, perhaps we all need to make a greater effort to hear and heed what God is saying to us. We may discover we’ve been tuning Him out more than we realize.

“This is my beloved Son; listen to Him” (Mark 9:7b).

© 2018 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Sitting at His Feet

Yesterday I was thinking about a difficult situation and enlisting the support of those I know will pray about it. Later that evening I was reading the Bible and just happened to be in 2 Chronicles 20. The prophecy of Jahaziel jumped out at me:

“Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed... for the battle is not yours but God’s... You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf” (15,17 ESV).

That was precisely the assurance I needed to hear at that time. But it made me realize—as often as I read the Bible, and even though I believe it is all God’s Word, most of the time I don’t really expect to receive specific answers to my needs here and now. Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). I’ve usually assumed that meant primarily that Scripture is useful in establishing general principles for life. While I’m sure that much is true, who’s to say God can’t use the Bible to answer specific questions in the modern world? I’m not going to get into arguments over dispensationalism because I don’t think any of us understand God well enough to know what He will or will not do today.

I can think of other times that God has used a timely piece of Scripture to calm my fears and remind me that He knows and He cares. Perhaps it’s a bit presumptuous, but I would like that to become a daily event. I suspect that my cynicism is a greater hindrance than God’s willingness. He wants to be known by me far more than I am inclined to seek Him.

I’ve started reading Wayne Cordeiro’s The Divine Mentor: Growing Your Faith as You Sit at the Feet of the Savior. He suggests that the Bible is full of mentors eager to teach us what to do (and not to do) and to encourage us in our journeys. Cordeiro comments on our need for Scripture:

“Jesus is claiming [in John 15] that as you remain in Him and His words remain in you, there will be an obvious activity of the Father flowing through your life. Your desires become the Father’s desires. Your heart becomes the Father’s heart. And everyone will be able to see that Father at work through you... The Father’s main tool for pruning you—and so helping you to enjoy a deeply satisfying, productive life—is the Word of God. The devil knows that if he can keep you from the Word, you’ll simply dry up” (p. 56).

If nothing else, I hope that reading this book will raise my expectations of meeting God and hearing from Him in His Word. “Only by sitting with the Divine Mentor will we ever get to know Him intimately and become able to recognize the voice of an imposter” (58).

The writer of Hebrews stated:

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (4:12).

Since that is the case, I don’t want to read the Bible as if it is merely a historical narrative or a top ten list of lifestyle suggestions. It’s not even enough to find faith for salvation and hope for heaven. I want to encounter the Living God in the Living Word, and I intend to pursue that to the best of my ability and by the grace of God. This could be a dangerous endeavor. It’s easy to read a book and not let it make any impact. (How many of the 166 books I read in 2014 do I even remember?) It will require an investment of time and energy and even the risk of being disappointed. But it could well have rewards I haven’t anticipated. I’m certain to find wisdom, direction, encouragement, nourishment, and greater fruitfulness for the Kingdom. There’s no telling what else God may decide to do.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” -Ephesians 3:20-21