We pray that minds be opened

"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45, New American Standard Bible).

The look of worn out pages, the smell of years of storage, the way a story draws you in and won't let you go until the end - there is something I love about books. Yet, it is the story that sticks with me most. It can open my mind to another world, to another perspective I haven't seen, or to a truth I haven't remembered in a while. The beauty of the Bible is that it is God's story on how He came to save us, and it speaks truth to us about who God is.

A great story comes before the verse mentioned above, Luke 24:45, in Luke 24:13-35. Not long after Christ had been crucified on the cross, two men were traveling on foot to Emmaus. They were discussing the news they had heard, that Christ rose from the dead after His death and burial (vv. 14-24). On their journey, Jesus came alongside them and started to talk with them. I assume they were probably baffled as Jesus started explaining how the prophecies from the Old Testament were fulfilled in Christ to prove that He was the Messiah (vv. 25-27, 31-32).

Today, let us pray for someone on our mind who does not yet see the truth in God's Word and what it says about Christ. We pray God brings clarity to an unbeliever so they can understand and have a relationship with our Savior King.

Lord, this person on our mind, please open their mind so they understand your Word. Help them see Christ as true, and help them hear Your call to be a part of Your salvation story.

"And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20, NASB).

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999)
Photo of Trinity Library in Dublin, Ireland from fromeuropewithlove.tumblr.com

a golden sense

"The music is all around us. All we have to do is listen." –"August's Rhapsody," August Rush (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
This past Monday, as I left class on a mission to find water, a classmate stopped me to ask a personal question. The genuine sincerity of her response as I answered struck me. When we left our conversation, I felt that I could trust her.

How could I trust so quickly? I think it is because of the way she listened.

From the Bible's stories, we know that our God listens. In Luke 2:46-47, Mary and Joseph search for 12-year-old Jesus after a Passover feast in Jerusalem:

"After three days, they found Him in the temple complex sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all those who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers."

My roommate helped me find the Greek word for "astonish." It is pronounced existemi, and it means "to amaze... to astound out of one's senses."

In Luke's story, we see Jesus sitting with these men who taught the Scriptures, and they are amazed by this young boy's wisdom and understanding. John Maxwell explains in The Maxwell Leadership Bible, "He [Jesus] knew that to connect with people's hearts, He had to use His ears."

By listening to others, we can speak volumes about Christ's love. When the Holy Spirit shows us opportunities to use our gift of hearing, I pray that we show Christ's astonishing wisdom and love for others.

Do you have a story about the power of listening?

(Picure from marinebio.org)