Mark 8:16-18
“They discussed this (His warning to beware the yeast of the Pharisees) with one another and said, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?'”
When I was in the Air Force, I was stationed in areas of the country where we had quite severe weather from time to time. We encouraged the kids to be excited to watch the thunderstorms with delight, and all three of them loved to cheer at the flash-bang displays.
When my mom came to visit she was not a good judge of clouds. Many times when she came to visit she would stand at the window and say; “Cec come and look at this cloud, it looks pretty bad to me.” Most often it was a small cloud with the sun at its back so that it appeared dark.
It reminds me that it most often takes a discerning eye to see and appreciate the wonderful things that God has created. This lack of spiritual appreciation has robbed us of a blessing and God of the praise He deserves. Some people have the spiritual eyes and ears, but cannot comprehend the wonderful things which God has prepared for us.
Even the disciples of Jesus failed to grasp His words. They were thinking about bread to fill the stomach, but He was talking about the self-righteous sin of the Pharisees. They brought down to a human level the words of Jesus, which were spiritual.
Before we become too critical of His disciples, how many times do we fail to see the plans and purposes of God? How many times do we equate health, wealth and happiness as blessing, while sickness, poverty and heartbreak as a curse?
In reality, it is in the trials and tribulations of our life that we become aware of the sweet presence of the Lord. Think back on your experiences of these times and you will remember that He was always with you.
So how can we change? How can we be people who open our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our minds to understand? I am tempted to suggest that it is by HABIT! It is doing and re-doing and doing again and again.
It is asking Him to open our eyes to make us aware of His presence. It is paying attention to the words of Scripture we read, the words of songs we hear and the needs we see in those around us.
God’s precious Word is ours for the taking. May we purpose in our hearts to have eyes to see and hearts to be open to comprehend!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and become a real blessing.
— Pastor Cecil