Matthew 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.”

It is important to note that the seeing and hearing here are not a matter of innate ability, but of choice, just as Isaiah prophesied. God doesn’t exclude people, but they exclude themselves. That is an absolute tragedy, because as the Lord said through Isaiah, anyone who chooses to listen and see and so turns to God is healed. (verse 15) That healing isn’t just physical, but extends all the way to eternity. I’m reminded of the thief on the cross beside Jesus, who chose to see Jesus as the innocent Son of God, and so asked to be remembered in His kingdom. That choice brought him eternal life! Our theme is Training Disciples, and that too involves personal choice. God chooses us, but we have to choose to respond, and we have to choose to grow. The more stubborn we are, the more painful it is! It ultimately comes down to faith. We have to believe that God loves us and has the very best plan for us, and accordingly, listen carefully to everything He says to us, choosing to obey promptly and fully. It is incredible how we balk at that, but that’s how we are. Every parent has experienced times when their children would refuse to listen at all, or perhaps, appear to listen but then go off and ignore everything they were told. Conversely, there are times when those same children will be like sponges, absorbing everything their parents say to them. Those are a lot happier for everyone involved! That said, on the human scale, we are imperfect parents, and we all too often impart things we wish our children didn’t pick up! However, God is the perfect Father, so He doesn’t have that problem. Everything we get from Him is for our good.

I wish I could say that I’ve always listened attentively and obediently, but that would hardly be accurate. My own experience should give me patience with people under my care who don’t seem to listen very consistently! Being a pastor is a hard job for precisely that reason. I’ve got to keep listening and growing, because I’m far from perfect, and my job is to shepherd God’s people in the path of growth. I have to tell people about the spankings I’ve received so they can avoid them! I need to have discernment to know when God is using one of the multitude of voices that clamor at me, and which voices are just noise, or even active attacks from the devil. I’m tempted to say, “That’s beyond my pay grade,” but it’s actually one of the fundamental tasks of every human being. I need to be humble enough to know that I can’t keep it straight on my own, and trusting enough to know that God’s got it all in control, if I will relinquish that control to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’m in a little bit of a panic moment about the arrangements for our trip next month, but that’s not an issue for You. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, knowing that You are going to guide perfectly, if I will just listen. Thank You. Praise God!