The Microwave
“The
heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are
hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes and hear with
their ears, lest they should understand with their
heart and turn, so that I should heal them”
(Matthew 13:15)
I like my
microwave. It does exactly what I want. When I hit
the “1” button on its keyboard, indicating that it
is to run on “high” for exactly one minute, that’s
precisely what it does! It offers me no debate
about the process. It does not suggest somehow that
two minutes might be better, nor does it distract me
by telling me that in this instance a conventional
oven might be more appropriate. It doesn’t offer
any suggestions at all – it just does what I tell it
to do.
That’s great, if
you happen to be a microwave. But you are a person,
a living, breathing human being, and because of that
fact, I need to LISTEN to you, just as all of us
need to respond to one another, and especially, it’s
time to HEAR the Lord. He is indeed speaking right
this minute to your heart and mine.
A couple of weeks
ago, we were in the Medium Security section of a
federal prison, in the USA. We spent three
wonderful days in the facility, laughing, talking,
crying and getting acquainted with several dozen of
the prisoners who wanted to know what we could DO
for them. In ministry, just like it was in
business, we’re finding that the “bottom-line” for
people everywhere is the age-old question: “What’s
in it for me?” The answer, of course, when our Lord
is involved, is that a LOT is being done for us all.
One of the
prisoners told us, “By
coming to prison, we got rescued!” He went
on, “We have time to read
the Bible, time to study, and time for fellowship.
They give us reference Bibles and books about the
Bible, like concordances. Best of all, we’re off
the streets and away from a lot of temptations.
We’ve been rescued.” There were a half-dozen
or so other prisoners who were with us at the
moment, and they all nodded and agreed with him.
The “worst” had happened to them, but God was
turning it to victory in their lives.
Almost everyone
wants to avoid the prisons of this world, which may
be literal jails, or they can be situations people
fall into that just SEEM like jail. All would agree
that being sent to prison is definitely negative
from a human standpoint, but God has wonderful ways,
and He is always turning our mistakes into His
blessings, which we can “see”
if we are WILLING to understand. The prisoner who
remarked he was “rescued” had one more comment: “If
this (jail)
was what it took, it was
well worth it!”
You might say
something like: “If only I could SEE God, I would
believe in Him.” The reality is that the Lord HAS
revealed Himself and He is clear to us all. God’s
work may be seen in His creation (Romans 1:20), and
His Law is “written in
(everyone’s) hearts”
(Romans 2:15). The fact that we often have not
perceived Him in our lives is our own choice. When
we don’t recognize His hand in our victories and
apparent defeats, it is because our hearts have
grown “dull,” and we
simply aren’t willing to “see”
with our eyes, ears and hearts, as Jesus described
in Matthew 13:15. What we think we want is often
what we get, and many have simply not WANTED to “see”
Him all these years. God has intended that we will
respond to other people, but we have all too
frequently wanted the opposite, that OTHERS would be
something like the microwave mentioned earlier, just
doing what WE want when we want it and merely
responding to OUR needs.
For humans,
communication is difficult. While finishing my own
scheduled “talk” to the prisoners during the
weekend, one of the lay leaders gestured to me
through the window at the back of the room. He held
up two fingers, which I assumed meant “two
minutes to go,” but when you think about it,
the gesture could also have meant “V
for Victory” or it could have been a “peace
sign” from the 1960’s. But with God, the
only reason we don’t “hear”
Him, is because we don’t want to. He’s very open
and specific. As Jesus commented, “Their
ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed, lest they should see with their eyes and
hear with their ears, lest they should understand
with their heart and turn, so that I should heal
them” (Matthew 13:15). Open your “eyes” and
look to the Lord, for He is indeed offering to “heal”
your “heart” and
life.
Do you “see”
(understand)? If you do, you are blessed, for the
Lord said this: “Blessed are
your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear”
(Matthew 13:16). Whether you are in some kind of
prison or consider yourself to be “free,” if you
have said “Yes” to
God, He will “bless”
you (make you happy) – forever! It is the LORD who
enables you to “see.”
Isn’t it amazing,
wonderful and terrible, all at the same time, that
God did NOT make us like a microwave oven that does
everything its owner tells it to do? It’s “amazing”
because God has actually allowed us freedom! It’s
“wonderful” because we incredibly can choose our own
destiny. You can be with Him forever or not – your
choice! But it’s “terrible” that so many choose to
live and die without Him, entering into an eternity
where they will be isolated and alone – forever!
It’s good that we
are not God. Humans are fearful by nature and if we
did manage to create a race of beings, we probably
WOULD make them into something like toasters or
microwaves, because fearful beings want to control
–everything! God is not like that. He created us
FREE to listen or not, to acknowledge Him or not;
and amazingly to love Him or reject Him as we
choose.
God is not fearful
– He is personally full of love (1 John 4:8), the
opposite of fear. You may wonder, “Why
don’t people LISTEN? Why don’t they care?”
Well, we’re just people doing the best we can, and
many HAVE tried to care for you! It may be that YOU
need to listen, as well. And as you have correctly
observed, all human beings actually have little to
give. But there is One who DOES have much for us
all, and HE is the One you need to hear.
As a people, we
have “grown dull” in
“heart.” We have “closed”
our “eyes” and “ears”
to Him, for we have been fearful about losing our
freedom, when in fact, He sets us free through His
love. He is the One, if we listen, who can “HEAL”
you and me. Will you pray?
Father, I confess
that I have wanted to be in control, when I really
should give MY life to You. I trust in You now,
Lord. Thank You for setting me free. In Jesus Name.
Amen.
