If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark 4:23 ESV
Some time ago I had the opportunity to visit the excavations of the seven churches of Revelation 1-3. John wrote seven letters to seven churches after God told him through a vision to do so. In these three chapters, I can find seven times in which the text is today’s verse. It was quite an experience to see the seven churches and to experience them. The word in the Scripture receives a completely new meaning.
When I arrived home from the trip, I got sick. A harmless winter flu put me to bed. Just when I started to feel better, I felt a terrible pain in my ears, and I had to go to the hospital to the emergency room. The next day my eardrum burst. Suddenly I heard only very, very much noise in my head. They called it tinnitus, and my hearing was gone completely. The specialist gave me a very bad prognosis. The hearing loss was a catastrophe, and I would in the future be able to hear only with strong electronic help. Why this? What does God want to tell me?
My husband took me for walks day by day. He took me into the snow, to a farm, to the lake, into the forest, to the llamas – every day something new. My other senses were stimulated: sight, feel, smell, touch, taste. It all helped a lot. I concentrated less on my hearing. It was somehow relaxing and did me good.
During this time something happened for which I will be thankful all my life. With strong hearing aids I could drown out the noise in my head, and I heard my first sermon after my sudden deafness. The pastor said that we are always surrounded by God, wherever we are, like a fish by water. Suddenly I remembered the many incidents during which I felt guided by God.
Could it be that only now, as I have lost my hearing, that I could finally hear? I started, deaf as I was, to listen, to hear, to understand, and to trust that He would carry me through. I knew suddenly that as my past was not a coincidence, what happens now is not a coincidence either. Suddenly I was looking forward to finding out what my hearing loss was good for and what God wanted to tell me. I could suddenly trust again, and I started to quote again and again, “May I never forget the good things he does for me” (Psalm 103.2 NLT).
This was a drastic experience: I had to lose my hearing to be able to hear.
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