A New Devotion - Two Ears and One Mouth

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. It's based on the passage below. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Luke 9:28-36

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” - not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Two Ears and One Mouth

I’ve heard it said that there’s a reason God gave us two ears but only one mouth. It’s because he wants us to listen twice as much as we speak. Of course, even though that may be God’s intention, that’s generally not how we choose to live. Instead, we’re either talking or champing at the bit to talk. And even when we appear to be listening, often we’re just thinking about what we’re going to say when it’s our turn. Listening just doesn’t seem to be something that comes naturally.

But I’m not sure it ever has. For example, take the passage we just read. In the face of this miraculous metamorphosis, one that pointed to who Jesus was and how important he’d become, Peter just couldn’t help himself. Instead of staying quiet, he just blurted out, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” something that even the Evangelist Luke thought was a silly thing to say. No, speaking when we could be listening seems to be a perpetual human problem.

And I believe that’s the reason it’s important for us to hear the voice of God and to recognize that, since Jesus is his Son, the one chosen, we should really listen. You see, we should put aside all the wisdom we want to impart and all the opinions we want to express and to open ourselves to what he has to say. And I’ll tell you, when we do, I think we’ll hear about a love that can calm our fears and a direction that can guide our steps. In other words, when we tune in and shut up, I think we’ll understand why God gave us two ears and one mouth.