Eyes And Ears!

February 15, 2024

Eyes To See And Ears To Hear!

A few days ago, we took a walk along the city trail that meanders behind our house.  There are several trees along the trail as well as a small irrigation ditch that runs water late spring through early fall.  It is a perfect area for a variety of wildlife.

We had reached the part of the trail that passes by our backyard when I thought I heard something.  We both stopped walking and got very quiet.  We heard the sound again; it was not far away!  We were listening to a pair of great horned owls calling back and forth to one another.

We walked a few steps further along the trail when I motioned my arm to stop my wife and pointed up in a tree in our neighbor’s yard; we spotted the owl!  The owl was still hooting while at the same time keeping a close eye on us.  We waited a bit and then continued our walk. 

We reached the base of the tree in which the owl was sitting and then stopped.  Our position almost directly below the owl made it nervous.  In a couple minutes, the owl took flight and landed on the peak of the roof two houses down the trail. 

It was at that point that we heard the second owl become more vocal.  We walked past the tree in which it was perched so we might catch a glimpse through the branches.  Both owls were sill calling to one another. 

As we continued looking in the tree, the second owl took flight towards the roof of the house where the first owl was sitting, mated with the first owl, and then flew away low and slow between two house.  The first owl remained on the roof.

January and February are the prime mating and nesting season for great horned owls in the area where we live.  We hear the owls calling almost every night…and sometimes multiple times during the night.  A few days ago, we were blessed to see both the male and female owls just behind our house.

I found it interesting that the people walking in front of us on the trail did not hear nor see the owls.  My hunch is that even if they would have heard the owls, they may not have known what they were hearing.  I am grateful that we had the eyes to see and the ears to hear the voices of these great owls.  In the same way, I pray I have the eyes to see and the ears to hear the voice of Jesus in my life.

Yesterday marked the beginning of the season of Lent.  Lent is the forty days (not counting the weekends) preceding the celebration of Easter.  Lent is a season of preparation to draw nearer to Jesus.

For many Christ-followers, Lent is a season in which they give more time and energy to nurturing an environment in which they have the eyes to see and the ears to hear the voice of Jesus in their life.  Although many of us get focused on “giving up something” during Lent, the real purpose of Lent is to draw closer to the Lord God.

The old prophet warned people who had drifted away from the Lord God.  In Ezekiel 12:2 we hear; “Mortal, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house who have eyes to see but do not see, who have ears to hear but do not hear…” 

Lent is a season of several weeks when I can train my eyes to see what the Lord is doing and train my ears to hear what the Lord is saying in my life and in the world around me.  Doing so requires discipline!

Jesus was concerned for those who were no longer seeing the presence and power of the Lord God as well as those who were not hearing from the Lord God.  In Mark 8:18 Jesus says; “Do you have eyes and fail to see?  Do you have ears and fail to hear?  And do you not remember?”

Lent is a season of several weeks when I can train my eyes to see what the Lord is doing and my ears to hear what the Lord is saying in my life and in the world around me.  Doing so requires discipline!

Later the Apostle Paul issues a similar warning to the churches in first century Rome.  In Romans 11:8 Paul writes; “God gave them a sluggish spirit, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”

Lent is a season of several weeks when I can train my eyes to see what the Lord is doing and my ears to hear what the Lord is saying in my life and in the world around me.  Doing so requires discipline!  

No matter who we are or what we have done, we can once again see the great works of the Holy Spirit.  No matter what we think about ourselves or what we believe other people think about us, we can once again hear the voice of God. 

The season of Lent is an invitation to engage in a variety of spiritual disciplines that will help my eyes to see and my ears to hear the good news of Jesus.  Here are a few disciplines that can open your eyes and ears to the presence and the voice of the Lord during the season of Lent.

1. Attend worship each week.
2. Read a portion of the Gospel of John each day.
3. Join a small group for six weeks.
4. Pray each day.
5. Serve someone who is suffering each week.
6. Observe 15 minutes of silence each day.

Sometimes I hear the voice of Jesus in a song or a message or a prayer during worship.  Sometimes I hear Jesus when I read the Bible, stop talking and striving, or pray.  Sometimes I hear Jesus when I listen to another believer in my small group or when I serve the poor.

Seeing the presence and power of Jesus with my own eyes as well as hearing with my own heart and sometimes ears the voice of Jesus happens when I prepare myself to see and hear.  Lent is a season of several weeks when I can train my eyes to see what the Lord is doing and my ears to hear what the Lord is saying in my life and in the world around me.  Doing so requires discipline!  

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug