“Then turning to the disciples he said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.’” Luke 10:23-24 (ESV)
Truly those who wanted to see and hear were blessed. The question is why did so many not see and not hear? There are many reasons and today we are going to look at two of them.
The first we find in Luke 10: 19-20, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
We love to focus our attention on the big show going on and can often miss the roots of a situation. In biblical times even those who were sent out to cast out demons and spread the Gospel were caught up in the power they possessed in the name of Jesus. They were so focused on this power that they were missing why they had the power and why Jesus had come. Notice Jesus says do not celebrate that you can cast demons out in my name but rather celebrate that your names are written in Heaven.
We see this happening now in our present society. We often celebrate the fireworks and not what we truly have – a relationship with our Father. We can take for granted that the Holy Spirit is living in us, forgetting that for thousands of years, many had dreamed and prayed to experience what we have in our relationship with our Father in Heaven.
The second issue is that many do not believe what they cannot see. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39, ESV)
Jesus goes straight to the core of our humanity – how the love of flesh is greater than our the love of faith. We often love our relationships more than our God. We put stock in what people think and feel more than what our God tells us we should think and feel. We put ourselves or other people first and God second.
When God tells us to take up our cross it means surrendering everything in this life to Him. Only God can be first in every aspect of life. By seeking the cross we do not find death, we find a new life. Blessed are those who see and hear.
Father, we pray today that we may truly see and hear You in our lives. With Your help, let us experience more of You in our lives. Lord, help us not to be distracted by fireworks and people. Forgive us for the things we put before You. I want to be in Your presence all the days of my life. Thank you Jesus. We love you. Let me choose to walk with You today and not on my own. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Is there something in your life that keeps you from seeing and hearing God?
What does it mean to really surrender everything to God?
By Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission
Further Reading
• Prayer Journey – Have you ever taken the time to evaluate your journey with God?
• Practicing the Presence of God
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