The Importance of Hearing
By John Romaine
GOD HEARS:
David said, “O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer...” (Psalm 17:1).
"From the end of the Earth will I cry unto Thee...” (Psalm 61:2).
The Church has and is, and will be a “House of Prayer.” We pray because we believe our Heavenly Father
hears us!
"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any
thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions
that we desired of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).
WE HEAR:
"Then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction”
(Job 33:16).
"So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart
to understanding” (Proverbs 2:2).
"And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water
of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine
ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn
to the left” (Isaiah 30:20-21).
"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and
the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee
things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1).
As with the eyes, the ears are a wonderful part of our bodies. Just as with our eyes, the ears can have problems
in that they do not work well. They also can be ill formed and unattractive, but ears also have a spiritual meaning to the
Christian, and a lot is said in the Bible about them.
"And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought
unto Thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with
his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to Thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him,
and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto Me” (Mark
9:17-19).
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
"For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because
I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye,
I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole
were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased
him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot
say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members
of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable,
upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have
no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there
should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer,
all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:14-26).
THE NATURAL EAR:
First of all, this is how the human ear functions. Like our eyes, our ears are a miracle. There is the outer
ear, the inner ear, and the most inner ear. Cotton swabs must be used very carefully so as to not puncture an eardrum. Our
ears grow as we become older. With men, our ears grow hair, which appears unkempt, if left untrimmed. Some persons are born
without being able to hear. Beethoven was born with a hearing impediment, yet he could hear and feel the vibrations of the
music he played and wrote, until finally, he became totally deaf, thus: The Unfinished Symphony. Our old dog, “Will,”
is deaf. That is sad. Our hearing is the result of vibrations which beat against our eardrums. These sensations are passed
on to our brain, which interprets the sound. Some of these noises are joyful, while others are alarming.
THE SPIRITUAL EAR:
Conclusion: Jesus was born with two ears. He listened and spoke. Sometimes it is that “still small voice,”
which is speaking to us, and we need to stop and “listen with our hearts.”
It is difficult enough to listen to each other, to say nothing of listening to God. The best way to hear from
God is to listen to His Word being taught, and to read it for ourselves.
God bless you and yours this wonderful day!
Brother John Romaine
A Note from Dad O'Connor:
I especially appreciate Brother John's last paragraph. It is indeed a timely admonition in these days of retrograde
and mixture. I personally believe in and have experienced “the still small voice.” I also believe that the Holy
Spirit dwelling within us can and will convict us, encourage us, and at times, impress His will and purpose upon our hearts
and minds. Let us not forget that the Scripture makes it very clear that the Holy Spirit will “testify of Jesus,”
and He shall lead us and guide us “into all truth.” Please be assured that the Holy Spirit will never lead
us and guide us into anything contrary to God's written Word.
While I do believe in our Lord's inner voice, there are so many in this hour who actually believe themselves
to be upon a daily conversational basis with our Lord Jesus! Some are so audacious as to presumptuously declare themselves
to daily engage in long-running “chit-chats” with our Lord; during which times He addresses them by nicknames,
and employs vernacular phraseology (at least this is what they would have us to believe)! In all too many such cases, what
they perceive as the “Voice of God,” stands in diametrical opposition to the Scriptures! Hear Me! God will
NEVER speak one word contrary to His written Word! NEVER! Any prophecy, interpretation, personal locution, impression,
vision, dream, or any alleged quotation of the Divine Word, etc., which is not 100% in line with the Scriptures, must
at once be judged as FALSE, and as such, must be rejected and repudiated!
"...let God be true, but every man a liar...” (Romans 3:4).
"For ever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).
"For we know in part, and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians
13:9).
"Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge”
(1 Corinthians 14:29).
"And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus
shall it be done unto them” (Jeremiah 5:13).
Were we never again to hear another word of prophecy, another interpretation, another personal locution/impression;
were we never again to experience a vision or dream; we should find the “Voice of our Lord,” in His written Word
(The Bible), more than sufficient., to teach and instruct us in every minute detail, everything needful, in order to
make Heaven our home, and to live a victorious, exemplary life, whilst upon our pilgrimage journey.
"Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have
dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression” (Psalm 19:13).
There is today such a rash of directive-personal prophecies, interpretations, personal locutions/impressions,
visions and dreams (of the Kitchen-Variety), because so many carnally-minded Christians have rebelled against God's known
Word, in the Bible! Being in such a state of rebellion against God, is as the “sin of witchcraft.”
"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as
iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23).
Such folk refuse God's “appointed way,” and choose to “hear it, speak it, and live it,”
in their way! This is a shocking and sobering tragedy of the modern Church!
"Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that
it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not
hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto
us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isaiah 30:8-10).
Thank God! Thank God that we do have a more-sure word of prophecy, which is the Bible!
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that
ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the
will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2Peter 1:19-21).
