Begin To Listen

"They hear, but they do not listen or understand." - Matthew 13:13

 

One of the most frustrating things is trying to make a point to someone who simply isn't getting it.  They're stuck in a mindset and you speak and speak and speak to try to clarify your point, but the more you talk, the less they seem to get it.  I imagine that God must feel the same way about us sometimes.  All of us hear the Word of God.  We know the bible stories and the parables, but we would be very different people if we actually did listen and understand.  We hear, but we do not listen or understand.

 

But it isn't entirely our fault.  Sometimes, like when we were in school and a concept escaped us as much as we tried to learn it, we need a good teacher to break it down for us.  In our case today, Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit.  It is His job to open our ears, minds, and hearts to the message we're hearing.  In the parable of the sower who threw the seed on fertile ground, the Holy Spirit had to have been present to allow the fruit to grow.  If there's something you're just not getting, ask Him to open your mind.  Even before you being to pray, ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to listen.  Many times we're too busy talking to God and not listening back.  If you have ears, then begin to listen.

 

Today's Prayer:

Holy Spirit, descend upon me and open my ears, my eyes, my heart, and my mind to Your presence. Teach me how to listen, teach me how to take in the Word of God so that my heart may become fertile ground for Your work.  In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.