Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.
When is the last time you sat with someone and simply listened to their story? Not for the sake of interpretation or correction, or offering up unsolicited advice or even encouragement, but just for the sake of being present in someone’s life and for a few moments or longer, immersing yourself in their story. Have you shared in their pain? Have you shared in their joy?
There is something powerful when someone invites you into their narrative and when they feel heard.
In the Christian calendar, we find ourselves in the season of Advent, in which we devote time and space to reflecting upon the story of God, who entered our individual and collective stories in the person of Jesus Christ. Throughout the story of the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, there is a theme of God’s people crying out to God especially in times of pain. A longing expressed for the wrongs to be made right.
A hope
for a resolution to the pain. A cry of “God, do you even care? God are you even there?”
Well, herein lies the good news. God hears. God cares. While it may seem cliché or even difficult to accept or understand, I believe it to be true. Throughout Scripture, God’s hearing is directly associated with his redemptive action. In the New Testament, the cry of God’s people is answered in the person of Christ who entered our brokenness to bring us hope and wholeness. Christ who entered our journey and issues the call, “he who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Advent not only looks back, but forward to when Christ will return to make the wholeness that he alone offers complete. Until then, we cling to the promise of God’s presence and his story of hope. It is our prayer that in this season of Advent, that you would have ears to hear and a heart to believe this story. It is our prayer that today and, in the days ahead, that you would know the grace of God the Father, the love of God the Son and the comfort of God the Holy Spirit.
Lastly, here is one of my favorite albums, Behold The Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson and others, that tells this amazing story;