“Then Jesus said, ‘Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.’” v. 9 (NLT)
Do you hear me now? Let’s face it, we hear the things we pay attention to. When you are sitting in a restaurant and hear a popular song in the background, you begin to listen closer to the background music, maybe even sing along. The reality is that the background music was always being played, you just didn’t hear it until it caught your attention and you focused on what you were hearing.
In this passage Jesus is saying that people will hear what He has to say but not focus on what they are hearing. For some people, His words will come across loud and clear, while others will be to consumed with the busyness of life that His words will just be playing in the back ground.
To truly hear Jesus’ words it means that I have to listen to Him, I have to believe what He says, I have to use what He says immediately in my decisions, attitudes, and every aspect of life. His words have life changing power. When I begin to have ears that hear, I begin to understand the things of God, my hearts begin to break for the things that break His, and He begins to transform me from the inside out.
Today, will you hear Him, will you focus on His Word, or will His words continue to play as background music in your busy life?
Prayer: Father, helps to have ears to hear, eyes that are open and hearts that are responsive to the things you are saying. Help us to focus on your word so we can experience it in powerful ways. Change us by it, so we begin to influence others with the things we have heard, believed, and applied.
Dan Gould 