Hear the message of God’s love for you
What was I not hearing? I asked myself this question when I was seeking healing related to a problem with one of my ears. The deterioration in my hearing seemed to be related to wax buildup.
I have had many healings through Christian Science, and am always grateful for the spiritual growth and uplift that accompany such healings. So I was not looking for a “quick fix” through medical or material means, even if there had been one.
As I was praying about this one evening and listening for inspiration from God, some verses from the book of Isaiah came to thought – verses 9 and 10 of chapter 6.
Isaiah is prophesying the coming of the Messiah, fulfilled in Christ Jesus’ life and healing mission. The prophet speaks of the lack of receptivity that would greet the new Messiah, the bearer of the gospel message – the good news – concerning God’s healing and saving love for each one of us. He foretells that the people would hear but not understand, and see yet not perceive. They would not truly hear the message of the Messiah and be healed. That is, they would not take in the message and let it change how they thought and acted.
Christ Jesus referred to this prophecy of Isaiah when his disciples asked him why he spoke to the people in parables: “In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear” (Matthew 13:14-16).
The phrase, “this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing,” caught my attention. Jesus was clearly teaching about the function of a person’s hearing in a deeper way than merely sound waves hitting an eardrum. His teaching indicated to me that to receive the healing and saving benefit of Jesus’ lessons, we need to be open to “hearing” – truly understanding his message. The Greek word for “hear” used here is “akouo,” and means to understand.
Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, defines “ears” this way in the Glossary of “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” a book that opens up the spiritual meaning of Jesus’ teachings and enables us to heal as he and his disciples did: “Not organs of the so-called corporeal senses, but spiritual understanding.
“Jesus said, referring to spiritual perception, ‘Having ears, hear ye not?’ (Mark viii. 18.)” (p. 585).
“What am I not hearing about God’s healing and saving grace?” I asked myself. Again, another Scripture came immediately to mind. I thought about the “shema,” something I had previously studied. “Shema” in Hebrew means “hear.” It begins these two verses in the book of Deuteronomy: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (6:4, 5).
In Judaism, this is the central prayer, the most important prayer, the beginning of all prayers. It is prayed every day by devout Jews.
I felt as if God was saying to me: “Listen up! Are you really hearing this message? I am your God! The one God. I love you! I am the source of your happiness, your supply, the fulfilling of your holy purpose. This will never change! You can count on it forever!”
Words from another prophet, Malachi, point to the impact of this true nature of God on each of us: “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6).
A sense of sadness that had tried to claim a home in my thought melted away that afternoon. I opened my thought and life to the extraordinary fact of God’s unchanging love for me. As a plant turns toward the light, I could not help but love God in return and feel overwhelming gratitude for this unchanging source of goodness in my life.
My hearing returned to normal, too. And I have had no further problems of this kind with my hearing since that time. I was listening to hear of and understand God’s love for me and all God’s sons and daughters, and letting it change how I thought about myself and the world.
There is no circumstance we can be in where God’s healing and saving grace is not present to heal, redeem, restore, protect, inspire. God is love, and God loves His spiritual creation as a father and mother dearly love their children. You can hear this message today and feel the peace and joy that will come.
