To Know Him is to Hear Him
By Rebecca Sieg
Friday, February 24, 2017
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)
My almost two year old, Micah, is just learning to talk. It happens to be one of my favorite times with little ones. When they hear words and echo them back to you. New words rolling out, surprising both of you. It is amazing to watch. For all his enthusiasm, he can still be hard to understand. Monkey sounds like ‘mon-gee’, cheese pronounced like ‘gheese’. Perhaps my favorite, ‘boo-bow’ for Pluto (of Mickey Mouse fame). For all the cuteness that is my youngest son, I can’t just rely on his words to get him what he needs or respond appropriately to him.
Our relationship works because I know him. I know that when he's sleepy he pulls on his ears and rubs his eyes. I know that when he needs to be changed he tugs on his diaper. I know because I know him. In a lot of ways, we become students of our children. We watch them grow and learn how to hear them without words. Without explanation. We know.
Isn’t that how it is with our Heavenly Father? To hear Him and respond to Him we have to know Him. In Luke 10, we read of Jesus’ visit with Martha and Mary in Martha’s home. Martha was practical and busy. She wanted to get the meal prepared and the dishes taken care of. Mary, her sister, chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen.
Martha became flustered and called Mary out to Jesus. Shouldn’t Mary be helping? Jesus replied: “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)
I can relate to Martha. I like order. I like getting things done. It’s hard for me to sit and just listen when I have a list of things to accomplish. And real talk - I ‘pull a Martha’ in my spiritual life, too. I let activities replace study of scripture. Conversations about God replace actual conversations with God. I let ‘good’ things replace THE things.
The things that God has called me to specifically. But why those things: because those things teach us who God is. They teach us to listen for His voice. They teach us to recognize His ways. His words. In a busy world, unless we sit at the feet of His teaching, we won’t recognize His calling.
Jesus wanted Martha to sit, to glean, to listen. Forget the dishes. Come, hang on my words. Forget the meal. Come, know me. To hear Jesus, we have to recognize Him. We can’t just know of Him, we have to have an intimate relationship with Him. Just like we become students of our children, we must be students of our Savior. So we can grow and learn how to hear Him without words. To know Him is to hear Him.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Call us into obedience of Your Word. Lord, stir in our hearts a desire to listen. To learn at Your feet. Lord, teach us who You are so in knowing You, we can hear You. And in hearing You we can be doers of Your Word. Make us students of our Savior, lovers of Your words and active participants in Your plan. As Your beloved, so we may love others, speak to us.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
© 2017 by Rebecca Sieg. All rights reserved.
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