It was a beautiful day here, Father. Thank You for the blessings of Your creation. Thank you for Your presence. Thank You for family and rest.
John 12:37-43 (<<click here to read the passage)
We met up with some of our dear friends this past weekend. Their 11-year-old son is a really great kid (smart and a total hoot to be around) but a boy through and through for sure. Mom shared that if the TV is on, he is totally engulfed in whatever he is watching. If she has asked him to do something, he may acknowledge she said something but remains transfixed. Not until she turns the TV off, can she motivate him to get his rear in gear!
I want to stress; he is not a bad kid. He has great parents who love him to the moon and back and you can tell he loves them in the same way. But, like many of us, he struggles when his attention is fixed elsewhere, to focus on what is the most important thing to focus on. Mom trumps TV every time. And whether we like to admit it or not, God trumps whatever may be happening in our lives all the time!
As today’s Scripture clearly points out, those in Jesus’ day were not focusing on God – and unfortunately many in our world today are in the same boat. Jesus quotes a portion of the prophet Isaiah’s writings.
The Greek translation of the passage from Isaiah 6:10 makes it very clear what Jesus was saying.
“Go and say to this people,
‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand.
..When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.’
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
..and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—
…so their eyes cannot see,
…and their ears cannot hear,
…and their hearts cannot understand,
…and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.”
The notes from my Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation address a very important concept – the hardening of our hearts.
People in Jesus’ time, like those in the time of Isaiah, would not believe despite the evidence (12:37). As a result, God hardened their hearts. Does that mean God intentionally prevented these people from believing in him? No, he simply confirmed their own choices. After a lifetime of resisting God, they had become so set in their ways that they wouldn’t even try to understand Jesus’ message. For such people, it is virtually impossible to come to God – their hearts have been permanently hardened.
We must diligently seek to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It would take a lifetime of disobedience to come to the point of being unable to hear his voice or to see the direction He is pointing us. And I believe, even those who have allowed their hearts to become hardened are never too far gone for God’s grace to reach.
Lord Jesus, tear our attention away from whatever may be taking our focus off of You. And may Your mercy and grace continue to draw the attention of those who have no thought of You whatsoever. Amen.
Aug 22nd, 2021, Sun, 7:41 pm
