September 2020

Faith Comes from Hearing

I got hearing aids last week. My family says that I’ve needed them for a long time, but I kept putting it off. The persistent wearing of masks in these recent months was ultimately what drove me to finally make an appointment. I had not realized that I had become a lip reader until I couldn’t see people’s lips any more. So, now I have these remarkable tiny devices that sit behind my ears with even tinier amplifiers that fit inside the ear canals. And, the wonders of technology never ceasing, there’s now an app on my phone that controls the volume, the background noise and even the equalized balance of bass, treble and mid-range sounds.

The point of this little story isn’t that I can now hear what I couldn’t hear before, although that does have significance. The most interesting part of this process was something the technician said to me as I was in the sound booth learning how to use them and how to wear them. He said, “I would caution you not to mess with the balance. Your hearing aids are prescribed for you. They are your prescription. If you start trying to find a “normal” sound for yourself, remember that normal for you is without hearing aids.”

Read that again, if you like. I had just heard that normal hearing for me had been an altered reality. I had become accustomed to sounds being muted or even non-relevant, simply because I could not hear. Yes, sitting in that sound booth being coached on how to wear and use hearing aids, I heard the Lord speaking to me, and He wasn’t talking about my physical ears.

Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (NASB) The Word of God teaches me to hear the voice of God, and hearing His voice increases my faith in the power of His word to perform His work of love in me. Jesus, being the exact representation of the Father (Hebrews 1:3), is the living word of God spoken to me to reveal Himself. I must pay close attention to what He says so that I can obey Him. This is crucial to my relationship with Him. I cannot float along in a cloud of ignorance, simply because I refuse to hear.

Getting used to hearing aids is a challenge. The world is much noisier than I remembered. Handling the papers at my desk, opening the wrapping on the bread, other people breathing and walking and sniffing and scratching. I’m annoyed as often as I’m charmed by my new reality. The audiologist assured me that over time what my brain discerns as superfluous noise will cease to register. While I hope that is true of my physical hearing, I am acutely aware that I need the Holy Spirit to help me remember what Jesus has said and to help me discern the truth of what He is doing in the world around me.

Lord God, thank you for speaking. Thank you for sending your word and creating the world and worlds and stars and heavens. Thank you for sending Jesus, the dearest and best word, into the world to reveal your heart toward men. Your heart that desires fellowship has spoken to my heart that was created for it. Draw me closer to you. Dig out my ears so that I hear you clearly and respond instantly in devoted obedience. I want to know you more deeply and love you more keenly. You have said, “Come, let us run together.” Teach me to run with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Dear reader, what are you hearing? What has God said to you that requires a response. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says….” (Revelation 2:7 NASB) Go to the scriptures in prayer and listen to what He might say to you.

Until next week, dear one, hear the word of the Lord.

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