Then He added, "Son of man, let all My words sink deep into your
own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Ezekiel 3:10
Listening is so important. We have to
listen to learn…and we have to learn to listen. I often find that I am so
intent on formulating a response to someone’s comments…or on getting my idea
into the conversation that I don’t really
listen to the others with whom I am speaking. When my children were teenagers my
husband and I took a parenting class that stressed “active listening” in which
the parent was to restate or paraphrase what the teen had said in order to confirm
what had been said. It is a method of communication particularly good for conflict
resolution that can be used with people of all ages. It can be used in a sort
of reverse pattern by asking young children, “What did you hear me say?” Either
way it encourages focused listening. That is just what we need to do with each
other…and with the Lord. Focus. In this passage today from Ezekiel the Lord is
preparing Ezekiel to go to the Israelites while they are in captivity in Babylon
and He told him that he needs to listen carefully—not just with his mind, but
also with his heart. The verses prior to the verse about “listening carefully”
are those below. The Lord knew that the Israelites were stubborn…and Ezekiel
was one of them.
Then He said, "Son of man, go to the
people of Israel and give them my messages. I am not sending you to a foreign
people whose language you cannot understand. No, I am not sending you to people
with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen! But the people
of Israel won't listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole
lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn. But look, I have made you as
obstinate and hard-hearted as they are. I have made your forehead as hard as
the hardest rock! So don't be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even
though they are rebels." Ezekiel 3:4-9
Are we hard-hearted and obstinate like the
Israelites? Are we willing to listen—really listen to the Lord and be obedient
to Him?
Prayer
~ Lord God, soften my hard heart and my stubborn attitude that I would hear
specifically what You are saying to me…the first time—so that You don’t have to
repeat it or find someone else who is more obedient than me to do Your will.
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
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