“Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.” (Ezekiel 12:2)

There was actually nothing wrong with their eyes or ears. Like us, the Israelites were created to spiritually see and hear God. Their problem lay in the deepest part of their being–their hearts.

It is amazing how much we can see and hear from God when we really want to. A simple Bible message from a novice preacher can flood our souls with joy. However, too often we come to the Lord and His Word with hidden reservations. Essentially, we are not totally honest. We know His blessing rests in obeying His Word and we want it. But we hope that we can acquire blessing, at least to some degree, without a complete and unreserved surrender. That very intention is rebellion and renders us blind and deaf to His gifts. We cannot see, hear, or value His goodness.

God made us with the unique ability to perceive Him. For one thing, and unlike animals, our minds can comprehend the concept of time, which opens before us the vast horizon of past and future. From this wider balcony of time, we can in a limited way catch a glimpse of eternity. If we could not calculate in terms of minutes and years, the eternality of God would not make even a lick of sense to us.

Our eyes let us see what He has made and reach conclusions. Our ears hear the Word and allow us to understand even more than what our eyes reveal. But if these two witnesses shout their evidence at a heart that is proud and disobedient they are wasting their breath. A rebellious soul will look at nature and force evolution into it. The same rebel will listen to the Gospel and cry, “Foolishness!” While modern man thinks he is an intelligent observer and listener, he is actually blind and deaf.

Have I ever found it hard to discern the truth in God’s Word? Has my soul remained cool while others shined with zeal for God? Did I blame it on the speaker for not making his sermons more attractive? The problem probably had nothing to do with my eyes or ears, but with the dullness of my heart. When the heart is glazed over with stubbornness, truth will rarely be able to shine in through the two windows of sight and hearing.

Dear Father, rid my heart of every rebellious strain so that my eyes and ears can show me what I am uniquely qualified to see.