Open my ears, Lord!

 

                                         Open my ears, Lord

   My great-aunt Mary was deaf. One Saturday, her employer sent her and another worker to the bank with the takings from his store. While they were walking along the street, a man grabbed her colleague around the neck and pulled him into the gutter, snatched the money, and scrambled to his feet. Aunt Mary, screaming for help, tore the bag away from the bandit while her colleague hooked the bandit’s leg and tripped him. Next, a passerby rushed entered the fray, pinioning the thief from behind, but he escaped, snatched the bag back from Aunt Mary, and jumped into the getaway car. As they sped away, his accomplice fired a parting shot.

   The trauma affected Aunt Mary so much that she suffered facial palsy and deafness for the rest of her life. She heard our conversations only if we raised our voices. Aunt Mary loved the Lord, and with a lopsided smile, she’d watch us without complaint, content to be part of the gathering. Yet as a regular Bible reader, she experienced no difficulty hearing Jesus’ voice. I remember her singing hymns, and her honesty and integrity in all she said and did were honourable.

    Jesus traveled through the ten Greek cities of Palestine, which border the Sea of Galilee. The locals brought a deaf and speech-affected guy to Jesus, pleading on his behalf for healing. Already the centre of unwelcome attention, he found himself in the perfect scenario for Jesus to perform a miracle. But Jesus drew him aside from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears, and after spitting on his palm, Jesus touched the man’s tongue.

  "Ephphatha!- Be completely opened!” At this, the man’s ears were opened and his tongue released. He understood and could make everyone understand him, and people were overwhelmed, amazed by Jesus’ power. Life transforming!

    As the object of  sensational curiosity, Jesus realized this guy needed privacy, and a personal encounter with Jesus. He didn’t need to be placed on show when he’d already suffered social isolation, been unable to express his thoughts, or to work. Instead, he needed love, acceptance and healing.

  Whatever we have done, Jesus becomes our friend when we hear his invitation and let him heal our hearts. Spiritual hearing is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who opens our ears, our understanding of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness. And once we have heard Jesus’ voice, the Holy Spirit enables us to express our relationship with God. We become His voice as He speaks through us. Are we evangelists? Our hearts, minds, and tongues, transformed by the Holy Spirit, will speak the message of salvation to the world. Are we writers or speakers? Let Jesus speak through our books, posts and words. We write with Jesus and not just for Him. Do we sing? Let’s lift our voices so the world hears about His majesty, power and love. Whoever we are, let's follow our God-given calling.

   Hearing is a gift that we too often take for granted. As a music teacher, my hearing has been crucial, but if I’d failed to listen and not learned from my tutors, my teaching would have been ineffective. ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.’ John 10:27. Jesus created every living being. He knows us and equips us, but let’s be ready to listen and to follow his will, effective servants in a needy world.

   Great Aunt Mary’s hearing was never restored this side of heaven, and we may suffer from a disability such as deafness or a painful illness. The Apostle Paul prayed three times for the Lord to remove ‘the thorn in his flesh,’ but it never happened. Instead, he received a greater blessing: the sufficient grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Paul’s weakened state, the Lord’s strength was far more abundant and obvious. He shone with joy, delighted that the gospel was preached by any method or circumstance, and Aunt Mary drew her contentment, resilience and strength from the same divine source. Do you carry open wounds, scars for life? He stands ready to transform them for His glory, changing your ugliness into beauty to His glory. He was wounded for our sins, enduring our punishment on the cross. God transformed the murder of His Son into the ultimate victory over sin, death and hell. Those wounds represent His suffering on our behalf, and God has crowned Him the King of Kings.

  Jesus invites you to be completely healed. He loves you and understands your disabilities and wounds. He may heal you of physical disabilities. If not, he can give you the grace to live with them because he will heal your spirit.