Open My Ears, Lord

As a parent, I know sometimes my children "hear" me, but they don't actually listen to what I'm saying.  My husband and I used to tease each of them when they were little, that we were going to get them an appointment with their doctor to get their hearing checked.  They would just laugh and admit they really weren't listening to us like they should.  No doctor's appointment was needed.


We can hear all kinds of things around us - both good and bad, but we must choose to listen to what is good and needful and choose not listen to what is not good. We also must be willing to hear the truth....to open our ears to the message about Jesus.  


The Bible talks a lot about ears and hearing.  Hearing is one of the first ways we will know about God and about Jesus.  We may hear it from others or maybe we read about it in the Bible ourselves.  But, when we hear....what do we hear?  What do we want to hear?  Do we want to hear the truth?  Do we want to hear only about what makes us feel good? Do we believe everything we hear?


In 2nd Timothy, Paul gave Timothy this charge about preaching the truth.  He told Timothy that there would come a day that people would not want to hear sound doctrine, but would want to hear what they wanted to hear.  They would turn from truth to myths.

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." 

2 Timothy 4:2-5

To believe the Bible, believe in God, and believe that Jesus really is the Son of God and that he came to bring salvation to all, we must first hear that word.  We must hear it from those who proclaim that message and learn about it from His Word.  That good news is spread all over the world for everyone to hear....if we'll all just open our ears.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Romans 10:14-15

Hearing the truth is essential to becoming a faithful Christian.  In fact, faith comes from hearing that message...and the only true message comes straight from the Word of God.  Anything else we hear or read, we should check it out in the Bible to make sure what we're hearing is truth.

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 

Romans 10:17

Maybe we should all pray this prayer:

Open our ears, Lord.  Help us to not just hear, but to also listen. Let us hear Your message and the good news of Jesus always.  Help us to always listen to Your Word and obey your commands.  Help us to open our ears to truth and to stay away from anything untrue.

In Jesus' name,

Amen