Listen To Christ

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear (Matthew 13:16).

Some people listen to what Jesus says but don’t believe that the Father is speaking. They don’t believe that his words are the words of the Father. That’s why God must draw them further along. When they hear the Word, God impresses it on their hearts. Then they’re able to believe that they’re hearing the Father’s words when they hear Christ speaking.

I plead with you to learn what it means for the Father to draw you. This means you must listen to the words from Christ’s mouth. You must learn from him. You must not stray from his words. It’s not reason that brings you to faith. Christ overthrows your own self-deceit and reason. He condemns people who reject his spoken word and want to wait for something special to happen. They hope the Father will speak personally to them from heaven and give them the Spirit directly. They want to hear an audible voice from heaven, but it won’t happen.

The only way to hear the Father speak is through the Son. You will hear the words of Christ, but these aren’t enough to draw you. Your reason says that Christ is only a man, and his words are only the words of a man. But if you delight in reflecting on the Word—reading it, listening to it being preached, and loving it—soon you will come to the point where you say, “Truly this is God’s Word!” In this way, faith comes alongside reason.

Adapted from Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther