When she was younger, one of my daughters suffered from wax buildup to the point where it was painful. One Sunday afternoon I took her to urgent care since our regular doctor was not available. The nurse on duty reminded me of Broom Hilda in appearance; she was sturdy and no-nonsense, and she was determined to get the wax out of my daughter's ear. To do so, she literally pinned my child down with her body so that she was steady, and used a device that resembled a large crochet hook to remove a massive wad of wax. This all happened so quickly I didn't have time to react or protest, but when she was done, I was relieved that my daughter was no longer in pain. By the end of that visit, we both resolved to be more vigilant with
caring for her ears.
Ears are on the mind because there is a spiritual correlation. To hear what God is saying to me, my spiritual ears need to be clean, without obstructions. My longing is to listen to his commands and desires and to respond appropriately. I don't want to have a wax buildup of all the world's gunk that requires the equivalent of extraordinary measures to remove, where I am flattened on a table so that only He can remove the gunk. These measures often appear to be painful, but they are often necessary so that we can hear clearly.
In Psalm 40:6, David declared, “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.” The word opened in this verse can be translated “cleared out,” and it speaks of what God desires for us. He wants our ears to be open and ready to hear Him as He speaks to us through His Word.
Sometimes, however, our spiritual ears may be blocked by the background noise of the surrounding culture or the siren songs of temptation and sin. For this reason, keep your ears clean so that extraordinary measures are not required to remove your wax buildup. Clean ears will keep you attuned to his desires for you, and like David, you will take joy in doing His will.
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—but my ears you have opened; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalms 40:6-8
There is definitely a spiritual correlation, isn't there? The culture around is can be a big one, but as you pointed out, our own sinful desires can be just as noisy. Blessings as you share God's truth.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. May God grant us the discernment to open our ears to His word while closing our ears to the prevailing lies all around and within us. Blessings!
ReplyDelete"Oh, be careful little ears what you hear," is an old child's song but applies to us. It is too easy to drown out God's voice with what I want.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to not hear God's voice in all of the rumblings of the day. I need to have cleaner ears.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great reminder! Thank you for sharing over at GraceFull Tuesday today!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great analogy comparing our physical ears and spiritual ears. I want to have clean and receptive spiritual ears as well. Thanks for this, Nylse!
ReplyDeleteAs I've aged, I've noticed that my hearing isn't quite as sharp as it once was. My prayer is that my spiritual ears won't follow suit - that my spiritual hearing will sharpen instead.
ReplyDeleteI have a daily routine to read God's word first thing in the morning and before bedtime. This way I can start off with his thoughts and end with them. Helps me so much to keep the ungodly things of this world out.
ReplyDelete#heartandsoullinkup
Great thoughts. I have noticed lately in people around me a tendency to hear but not really hear. There really is something to OPENING your ears. There's a willingness and a humility that has to be a part of listening to God. Thanks for sharing at #heartandsoullinkup
ReplyDelete