“Today, if only you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Psalm 95:7b-8a NIV)
Our Wednesday night bible study has been discussing hard-heartedness. We noticed this phenomenon first at the end of Mark 6, when the disciples didn’t understand because their hearts were hardened. We considered it again with the Pharisees in chapter 7 and I’ve read ahead, this issue of heart-hardness comes up again next week in chapter 8. Hard hearts seem to be a significant issue for humanity: not just those far from God like Pharoah or the Pharisees, but even Jesus’ inner circle struggled to keep their hearts soft to His teachings and their experiences with them.
Soft hearts still at at the sound of God’s voice. They revere His words. They treasure the divine relationship enough to slow their soul to His sovereign speed. (It’s been said that He is a three-mile-an-hour God.) Soft hearts trust God enough to believe His way is better, even when it doesn’t feel good. Soft hearts respond to His words: written or whispered.
Struggling to be heard is something I’m well-acquainted with after substitute teaching for a full three months. It has taken a long time to teach the children to hear and respond to my voice. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense:
There’s a lot of competition for their attention in the classroom. There are inspirational posters on the wall, instructions on the white board, and usually a window or two to the outside world. Additionally, the students create distraction: hair twirling, pencils tapping, notes being passed and tummies rumbling before or after lunch.
There are many other voices in the room, as well. I’ve noticed that the strongest pesonalities will compete for control of the room right when the bell rings. “May I take attendance? Can I pass out papers? What are we doing today?”
Additionally, there’s a lot going on within these students. I mostly work with 5th-8th graders in the unrelenting throes of puberty. Their hormones are shouting about their feelings. We see tears and aggression and anxiety and frustration on any given day. They may have had it out with a parent on the way to school or a fight with a friend on the playground. Just because they are in math class doesn’t mean they are emotionally prepared to think about math class.
I look at the distractions in the classroom and I think how similar it is in our grown up life. The voice of God is speaking though the same sort of environment on a much bigger scale.
The world is still competing for our attention: advertising badgers us endlessly. We are each pulled away by flashing lights, frustrations, disappointments, loud noises and temptations.
There are still other voices in the room, too. Our family members, our friends, our boss and our co-workers; the community around us shout for our attention. And of course, there is always, endlessly, a snake in our story to boot.
And still, there’s a lot going on within. We continue to bore our way through the world as a bundle of emotions, don’t we? Questions, worries, wonderings and more. There’s a lot to quiet internally.
Here’s the thing: all this competition for our attention and ultimate affection inadvertently hardens our hearts. Thick skin is the easiest coping mechanism when we are living in a fallen world, but it’s not the coping mechanism that God intended for us to take on. He tell us instead to be still and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10) He calls us near and promises to come close in response. (James 4:8) He says cry out and He will answer you. (Psalm 18:6)
At forty-two I’m finally learning to be still. I’m seeking out moments of stillness; before and after I open the Word, between the bells as the room empties and refills, on my evening walk as I marvel over the intricacies and diversity of creation. I’m training my ear to hear His voice and keep my heart soft toward Him.
“Hear, O Israel; the Lord your God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4 NIV)
It is not lost on me the the first instruction in the Shemah is ‘hear’. Listening is still the first step in loving.
Lord, let us learn to listen well. We want to cope the way You have created us to cope; not through thick skin but in nearness. Help us still our souls and listen for Your voice amidst the uproar of earth. Keep our hearts soft and responsive to Your subtle nudge. May we walk in happy obedience with our holy God. Amen.