9th September 2024

I was in the process of getting my hearing aids fitted to my ears. As we went through the steps together, the woman surprised me by saying that if in the first 30 days, I decided not to hear, I could back out of the contract. Not want to hear? Who would want that, I thought to myself. I was reminded of the verses in Romans 10:13-15. These verses often bring tears to my eyes. How desperately do all people need to hear the good news of God and his love and to be saved?

There is a difference between sound and noise in my world. Right now, I am listening to the sound of the gentle rain which I love, but the constant drowning of the fan irritates me. I think there is a difference between what I want to hear, versus what I do not want to hear. I know the rain brings life and is so desperately needed right now with the fires out of control in our area, so it is a good thing. Hearing the message of hope we have been given in Jesus and his love for us is also life-giving. So why is it that many do not want to hear this message of hope?

We have a hint of why in verse 3, ‘Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.’ We build our own perfect world, and we try to establish what we see as right and wrong. We do not like intrusions in our world. We simply do not want to be told that we are wrong. We do not like correction, for we do not see it as something that helps us personally or see it as something good for us.

I surely did not like the idea of getting hearing aids, but often I had to ask others to repeat what they said because I knew they did not say what I thought they did. Sometimes we need help to hear and to hear correctly; this is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Matthew 13:13-17 speaks of hearing but not understanding what is heard. There needs to be a reprogramming of our minds. I have a constant buzzing in my head called tinnitus, the brain tries to compensate for what my ears fail to do. The hearing aids will help reduce that buzz. The Spirit helps us to hear God’s voice and then to be able to follow him, by reducing the false messages (noise) of our fallen nature (John 10: 27).

Romans 10:18 asks the question: ‘But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did…’ They heard, we hear, but often we choose not to hear what is said or choose not to accept what we hear. Matthew 7:24-27 tells us that those who hear the word of God and choose not to listen are foolish and headed for a fall. God wants what is good for us, and he loves us beyond our understanding. And so, we are admonished to hear God’s voice. Whoever has ears, let them hear (Matthew 11:15, 13:9). 

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ (Romans 10:17).

Prayer
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving us the ears to hear your words of truth. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

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