May the deaf ears hear

I love thickly sliced, buttered, cinnamon-raisin toast. That has nothing to do with what else I have to say here, but I wanted to let you know.

In other news, I had an interesting experience at the grocery store yesterday that the Lord used to open my eyes. I love it when He does that! May I take His lesson to heart, apply it to my life, and walk in ever closer communion with Him!

I was wandering my new grocery store, looking for all the things on my list. I wasn't there to buy, just to price--things are quite a bit more expensive here, it would seem. As I made my way along the back wall of the store, the theft alarm at the front door started going off. Now they must be serious about shoplifting in Canada....this was no piddly alarm. The thing sounded a bit reminiscent of a fog horn on steroids. As it droned on, I was at first a little put out that it was disrupting my nice, quiet, solitary trip down the aisles. Up one, down the next, jot on the list, repeat. Easy. Comfortable. Familiar.

It wasn't 2 minutes later that I looked up from my list, startled to realize that, yes, the fog horn still echoed through the tiled, high-ceilinged room.....but I had totally blocked it out as I went about my business. How quickly I adapted and began to ignore that which I did not want to hear!

All too often, I do this with the Lord. He sends me a wake up call, sometimes through a verse or chapter, sometimes through a friend or a gentle rebuke from my husband. I am perturbed at the disruption to my normalcy, so I listen for a short second, grumble a bit, then move on with life, effectively ignoring that still, small voice echoing repetitiously in my spirit.

As I recognized this situation standing there amongst the shredded, block, and sliced cheeses, God showed me a bit more...a few minutes later, as I made my way up toward the canned peas, I was struck by the silence emanating from the alarm. I had been totally unaware of the moment of its end. I thought, God, please don't ever allow my heart to become so callous that I am unaware of the moment I can no longer hear your voice.

In our study of Isaiah, we just finished chapters 42-44. In these chapters, God the Creator and King is speaking of both Israel, his servant nation, and Jesus, his Servant King. Israel is once again rebuked for their blindness and deafness, their unfaithfulness to their faithful God.

^42:18 “Hear, you deaf;
look, you blind, and see!
¹⁹ Who is blind but my servant,
and deaf like the messenger I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant with me,
blind like the servant of the LORD?
²⁰ You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
your ears are open, but you do not listen.”

It is so easy to become this way, blinded by laziness, selfishness, callousness. We constantly forget the Lord in our day-to-day operations, "going through the motions" as Matthew West so aptly sings. Yet, there is hope!

^43:1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

^44:22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.”
²³ Sing for joy, you heavens, for the LORD has done this;
shout aloud, you earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,
you forests and all your trees,
for the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
he displays his glory in Israel.

Amen! Father, thank You for Your redeeming love for a people so in need of redemption! We cannot survive a moment without You, who gives us breath. Open our blinded eyes to see our idols in order that we might tear them down and give You Your rightful place in our hearts. You are sovereign, holy, altogether righteous! To You be all glory, honor, majesty, and praise!
Thank You, Jesus.
Thank You, Spirit.
Thank You, Father.
Amen.