Theme For David Jeremiah Daily Devotional April 21 2023 – Hearing or Hearing?
hen Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:38
Recommended Reading: 1 Samuel 3:10
A parent tells a teenager to be home by 10:30 at night, but the teen comes home at 11:30. The teen heard the instructions audibly, but he didn’t hear them in a way that affected his behavior. His ears received the instructions, but his heart didn’t.
The same disconnect between hearing and hearing can occur when we read God’s Word. It’s one thing to read God’s words in the Bible, but it’s another thing to obey them. God is sovereign and has every right to speak to us and expect an obedient response. Think of how challenging it must have been for the teenage Mary to both hear the angel Gabriel’s words from God and obey them. After all, what the angel said to her must have been confusing, if not confounding (Luke 1:26-38). Yet Mary’s response was a model of obedience: “Let it be to me according to your word.”
When you read God’s words today, make sure you are hearing with your heart as well as with your mind. And let obedience be your response.
The difficulty we modern Christians face is not misunderstanding the Bible, but persuading our untamed hearts to accept its plain instructions.
A. W. Tozer
Credit For David Jeremiah Daily Devotional April 21 2023 – David Jeremiah Ministries