Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you deaf to the words of God— the words he gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant?… Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind! [Isaiah 40:21, 42:18 (NLT)]
My Great-aunt Camilla began to lose her hearing as a girl and was completely deaf by the time she reached adulthood. Although she didn’t sign, she did lip-read quite well. In spite of her deafness, as long as we were face-to-face, we were able to converse without much difficulty. However, if Camilla didn’t want to continue the discussion or disagreed with us, she’d simply turn away and refuse to look at us. Tug as we might at her sleeve, she’d not turn back to rejoin the conversation until we’d convinced her that the subject had changed to one she preferred or that we agreed wholeheartedly with her opinion.
Thinking back to her, I wonder if we all might be a little like my aunt. We don’t have to be unable to hear to turn a deaf ear to someone. People do that all of the time when they ignore a doctor’s advice; recommendations to eat less and exercise more frequently fall on deaf ears. Most of us will hear only what we want to hear when we want to hear it. What should be heard is another matter and, just as the people of Israel did, we frequently turn a deaf ear to God. As long as everything is going our way, life is pleasant, and the future looks rosy, we keep our eyes and ears on Him. But, when we hear the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit, God’s plan differs from ours (as it frequently does), or life takes a nosedive, we often turn away from Him. We only turn back with complaint or demands. We readily accuse God of being deaf to our pleas when, in actuality, we are the ones not hearing Him.
When my deaf aunt turned away from us and refused to listen with her eyes, she won. The topic was changed and we spoke of what she wanted. God, however, is persistent. We just need to look at the Old Testament to see the various (and often severe) methods He used to get the attention of His chosen people. When they refused to listen to His prophets, God took measures that were not as easily ignored.
Faith is trusting God’s words and actions, even when we don’t like them. Faith isn’t turning a deaf ear to God; it is turning to Him and listening closely to what He is telling us. When life isn’t working out, He’s probably telling us something important so it’s best to listen carefully. God can speak to us in a whisper or a shout; as for me, I’d rather hear His whisper!
None so deaf as those that will not hear. None so blind as those that will not see. [Matthew Henry]
Sometimes, we Christians use religious jargon or “Christianese” when speaking. In fact, we might “testify” or “witness” instead of talk about our faith and “fellowship” instead of meet with friends! If, while speaking with non-believers, we use words we (and our fellow church-goers) can barely define we may as well be speaking a foreign language. Tossing about words like propitiation, sanctification, justification, glorification, conviction and reconciliation show that we can talk the talk, but what does it mean to anyone else? Let’s remember that Christianity isn’t a secret society like a lodge, college fraternity or sorority. There’s neither a secret handshake nor a password required for admittance.
Our pastor often says that the hardest part of giving his sermon is afterwards when someone asks him a question. I understood what he meant after finishing my sermon last Sunday. Opening our series on women in the Bible, I’d spoken about Eve. After service, a woman pulled me aside and said she’d always had trouble understanding how Cain, after being banished and settling in the land of Nod, could find a wife there. If Adam and Eve were the first parents, where did those people in Nod come from?
Yesterday, I wrote about Cyrus Teed, the Koreshan Unity, their strange theology, and Cellular Cosmogony: the belief that the earth is a hollow shell and the entire universe exists inside that shell. Whether he was a charlatan or insane fanatic, Cyrus Teed claimed to be immortal. When he died in 1908, his followers kept his body in a bathtub for five days and waited for his resurrection. Rather than rising, Teed began to stink and authorities forced his corpse to be buried. Nevertheless, many of his followers faithfully waited another thirteen years for his return.
He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. [Mark 10:14-16 (NLT)]
While cleaning out the bookshelves recently, I came across one of my children’s favorite books: Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? A small drawing of Lowly Worm, an earthworm wearing a Tyrolean hat, red bow tie, and one shoe on the end of his tail, is hidden somewhere on every page of the book and I immediately started searching for him. I hope you don’t think it sacrilegious, but thinking of Lowly Worm, a character who silently makes his presence known throughout Scarry’s books, made me think of Jesus and how He’s quietly present in all of Scripture.
Devotions of the Heart 