Ezekiel 12:2

"Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.” (Ezekiel 12:2)

What a state! The house of Israel not only did not see or hear, but they had the ears and eyes there for them to do it – they just rebelled against doing it! It is one thing to not be able to see because you don’t know how or because you don’t have very good vision – it is another thing entirely to have perfect 20/20 vision and shut your eyes or turn the other way. That’s what Israel was doing. They had the prophets, clearly warning them of their evil idolatrous ways and the consequences it would bring, and yet as a whole they decided to ignore it. In their own pride, self-pity, pleasure, or whatever other motive caused them to rebel, they brought the destruction upon themselves.

And here we take a step back and gaze in awe again at the applicability of the prophets to our own times. Notice the application here falls down severely upon us, the church. Who have ears to hear and eyes to see if not for us? But how much do we acquiesce in seeing and hearing what God says to us? I would suggest we refuse a large portion of the time. As a whole.

How do we see? How do we hear? Through His Word, through His faithful servants who teach it, through His Holy Spirit, speaking to us, convicting us. Through prayer. They are not hard concepts to grasp, but to realize them, I have learnt slowly, takes a lifetime of dedication.

Sometimes prayer seems like a waste of time. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like God hears. Better things could be done through action, rather than waiting around speaking about it. Has this ever been your thought? Or sometimes you feel really all your prayer is doing is telling yourself not to act a certain way: ‘Lord, let me not make this decision in haste...’ ie. Steven, make sure you don’t make a hasty decision. I’m sure we’ve all had thoughts like that. I know I have countless times. But the Bible says prayer is important, and if God is real, He is everywhere, and can hear everything we say. So keep praying, pray faithfully for others and praise God.

Sometimes it is hard to hear the Spirit. Was it really the Spirit who prompted you? Can you be sure it wasn’t your own mind, or just a natural coincidence that led you to this conclusion? I find listening to the Spirit, knowing His work in my heart, extremely difficult. For a person of hard science and calculations, the rather abstract concept of a Spirit convicting me isn’t exactly easy to follow. However, no less do I trust it, and no less do I strain to listen. Maybe someone can teach me about this. Maybe it is all about patience. Wait on the Lord.

How many of us read scripture daily? And how many read Scripture daily? There is no value in reading the Bible as a book, as a text, a compilation of words written by wise people thousands of years ago. There is no good reading the Bible as a ritual, as a tradition, as a task. If God had intended there to be value in that, He would not have inspired it. It would not be the Living Word. But such as it is, it can only be read in deep prayer, with a keen ear for Him who would speak through it, cutting like a double-edged sword to the heart. I am afraid that this is not always the case as I do my daily ‘devotions’, and thus another ear is turned against what the LORD has to say.

How long will this continue? How long will we fool ourselves with blank eyes and our own music in our ears, blocking that which the Lord has for us? What will it take for God to wake us up? I guess we’ll have to listen and watch out if we are to ever know.