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Ears to hear (11 May)

Ears to hear

Although I don’t like waking up too early, if I do, I love to hear the dawn chorus at this time of year and hearing the different calls from the varied birdlife population in the area – there are those of you reading this who would be able to distinguish each one! When I think about it, it is quite extraordinary the number of different sounds that come our way during the course of each day. Everything from the rich and diverse sounds of nature, the words we hear in conversation, sounds we hear through laughter, music, song and, perhaps less appealing, the shrill sound of road works, or of busy traffic. When I lived in Cranham, if the wind is blowing in the right direction, the rumble of the M25 could also be heard alongside the dawn chorus! All these sounds and more are common to us in the daily round of life.

At another level, the question that is raised is how do we hear God? Perhaps the answer depends on us, and whether or not we make time to listen. I haven’t met hundreds of people who would say that they have heard an audible voice, but that doesn’t mean God has stopped speaking. I know there are those who have embarked on a silent retreat, and who have come away with a strong conviction of what God wants them to do. God certainly uses the channels of prayer, the Scriptures, and the promptings of the Spirit to make himself known. Sometimes God may use the voice of others who speak to our situation through a timely word of wisdom and insight. And, of course, gift of conscience, although we have to acknowledge that conscience is not infallible.

Each week throughout the churches of the EBA, we celebrate the central truth that we worship a living God. Last month we celebrated Easter, reaffirming Christ’s promise, “to be with us to the end of the age.”  His resurrection revealed, from the beginning, how He continues to speak to His followers in their deepest needs, hopes and fears.  He spoke to a distraught Mary in the garden; the two bewildered followers on the road to Emmaus; the fearful and doubting disciples in the upper room; the downhearted fisherman in the fishing boat returning to the shore. It’s sometimes hard to take it in, but we are no less important to God. In this frenetic age, perhaps we need to take more time to stop, to listen, to reflect and to pray. My prayer is that we would each make it more of a priority, and try to discern more clearly the voice of the living God in whichever way is best for us. One thing we can be sure of, God does have something to say, a word in season.

Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Image by Kyle Smith on Unsplash