hard of hearing

I was provided a wonderful reminder from God's Word this morning. The extremely familiar "parable of the sower" from Luke 8 was the highlighted passage. For all I knew, the text had been exhausted of its benefits. Of course, God showed me another level of His ways, and I left reminded of the inexhaustible nature of God's Word.

To put it bluntly, I don't listen well. And the reason I don't listen well is because my heart isn't prepared to hear. Time in God's Word seems nothing more than time spent reading a book. Prayer appears frivolous as I ramble off the same mantra day after day. My heart is far too synonymous with the path, rocky, or thorn infested soils than it is to the nutrient-rich one. Therefore I come away from reading empty-handed and frustrated. And those two words adequately express my demeanor in recent weeks: empty-handed and frustrated.

From a pride standpoint, it's extremely difficult living as a unemployed man in his mid-twenties. I literally hold nothing in my hands. While this should cultivate a heart-posture ready to receive God's Word, it typically cultivates frustration. Frustration opens the door to doubt and fear. And those two drive me as I look upon what is coming next. I feel lost in my diminished pride instead of in the right place where God's grace can go to work. I seek to provide myself with significance when Christ is all the significance I need.

In all this I am reminded of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Fresh off God's awesome showing on Mount Carmel, Elijah hides in a cave after his life is threatened. He feels frustrated and insignificant, even to the point of desiring death (see v. 4). God feeds him, questions him, and says, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord (v. 10). Elijah does so with the anticipation of hearing God tell him something in an earth shattering manner. And here is what Elijah finds:

• a great and strong wind...but the Lord was not in the wind (v. 11)
• an earthquake...but the Lord was not in the earthquake (v.11)
• a fire...but the Lord was not in the fire (v.12)
• the sound of a low whisper or a thin silence (v.12)

And here is what Elijah does after hearing the low whisper:

And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' (v.13).

Elijah finally heard God speaking. And it wasn't because God was silent up until this point, but because Elijah's heart was now ready to listen. He had been doing all the things God wanted without listening. His frustrations were directed at God when they should have been aimed at his lack of hearing. God piercingly revealed Himself by means of a whisper. And this prepared Elijah to meet with God.

I too am looking for the wind, earthquake, and fire while ignoring the whisper. I don't listen before entering, but enter with no desire to listen. I say I am frustrated when I am the very reason for my frustrations. And in all this God is merely telling me what He told Elijah and every other person desperately wanting to hear from God.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Luke 8:8).