He who holds the seven stars and walks among the seven golden candlesticks…Alpha and Omega…He who was, and is, and is to come…
LORD Christ, on behalf of CRCC, I come unto Thee this morning asking that Thou wouldst, by Thy grace, give us Ears to Hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…
Your Word declares:
Act 28:24-27 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. 25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, 26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: 27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Oh LORD, is there a more difficult and damaging place for a believer to be in than seeing but not able to see and hearing but not able to hear? What judgment! Forgive us Oh LORD, for so often our hearts are fat, our ears are heavy, and our eyes are shut. LORD, your prophet Jeremiah declared, “"To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it." Jer 6:10
Oh LORD, I plead with Thee: give us ears to hear. Please give us ears to hear. Please unstop our hearing, Open our understanding and our spiritual eyesight. For without Thee, we will become dull of hearing, quick to speak, quick to take offense, slow to obey…
Merciful God, Thou hast said so many times, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” LORD, this seems to imply that many cannot or will not hear. OH LORD, let this never be our testimony!
Thou art such a good, good Father. Thy precepts, statutes, judgments, and laws are perfect in every way. Thou hast blessed us with revelation of Thy Son, who Himself is the living Word, the Word made flesh! Not being able to see, hear, and perceive cripples us! This is not Your will!
Master, it was the sad testimony of Thy people Israel in the wilderness to see but not see, hear, but not hear, over and over again. This hardness and stubbornness of heart plagued them to the point they could not/would not see Thy Son among them, eventually putting Him on a cross! OH LORD, let our righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees! Help us hear!
Finally Master, Thy Word declares hearing is not enough. I beseech Thee to take us farther…
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
LORD, if we hear, but do not do, we deceive ourselves. We literally promote our own self-deception and self-destruction. In this state, so much changes. Our ability to sense Thy love and the love of others wanes. Our relationships take on a pessimistic hue. We become unwilling to give and serve. Our faithfulness drops. We begin looking for excuses not to attend worship, pray, hear preaching, and forgive. Our joy lessens. We become susceptible to sins about which we know better. Our discernment dulls. We open ourselves up to depression and anxiety. Judgment!
Help us to be the sort of church upon which you look for we have trembled at Thy Word! Touch us as individuals and households to clearly stand for Thee in our behavior. Arrest our hearts and minds towards loving and joyful adjustments to Thy Precepts! Change our HEARTS oh LORD!
OH LORD, cause us to be an obedient church…a church who longs for Thy courts and Thy commands! Thou hast saved us from our sins. I pray now that Thou wouldst save us from ourselves.
Rebuke the enemy who would sow division and discord among the brethren. Instead, teach us your ways oh LORD that we might walk in Truth; unite our hearts to fear Thy Name.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen
