Ears Wide Open

The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. Isaiah 50:4

This is the voice of a servant — the voice of one who listens intently to the words of God and learns from what he hears. The servant could be Isaiah, for he dedicated his life to proclaiming the word of the Lord. His ears were continually open to the message God had for His people, and his tongue was certainly that of one who was taught, for he spoke with both eloquence and depth. Isaiah, however, did not so much speak to those who were weary as to those who were wayward.

More accurately, the servant who speaks in this verse is understood to be the Lord Jesus Himself. His ministry was for the lost, the broken, and the outcast — those wearied by society, by religion, by oppression, and burdened with sadness and despair. Divinely filled with all heavenly wisdom and knowledge, He was able to sustain the weakest and most fragile with the gentle power of His words. No-one ever spoke like Jesus.

Every Christian is a servant of God, and each has the ability to speak a word of comfort or encouragement to those who need it. Perhaps, like Moses, you feel your words would be inadequate for the task. Let God’s reply to that worry be your confidence:

Go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak. Exodus 4:12

The words of God bring hope and can soothe the most troubled of souls. What an honour and a blessing it is to bring even a small measure of comfort to those who are burdened.

May we be a people whose ears are awakened each morning to hear His words, and whose tongues are ready to carry them to those who need them most.

Picture credit: Photo by Gerbert Voortman on http://www.pexels.com