Two men were in downtown New York City, walking near Times Square. It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. One man said, “I hear a cricket.” His friend said, “What? You couldn’t possibly hear a cricket in all this noise!” “No, I’m sure of it,” I heard a cricket.” He went to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes beneath the branches, and sure enough, there was a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed. “That’s incredible,” said his friend. “You must have super-human ears!” “No, my ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you’re listening for.” “But that can’t be,” said the friend. “I could never hear a cricket in all this noise.” “It all depends on what’s important to you, and what you’re listening for.” 

Jesus said in Matthew 15:13ffsaid, “For the hearts of this people have 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 hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.”

When the preacher is preaching do we hear the message or are our ears closed because we disagree? When someone is telling us about their pain, are we listening? When God speaks to us from His word, are we listening?

Amid the distractions of the world all around us, may our ears always be open, not only ready to listen, but to hear and be obedient to God’s voice as He speaks to us through His word.