“Be opened!” Jesus said to the deaf man with a speech impediment. At some time or another, we all are deaf. We don’t hear what is really important. We don’t hear God’s voice. Instead, we hear all sorts of distracting voices that keep us from obeying God. The Psalm for today emphasizes how important it is to keep focused on God’s voice and to turn away from other voices that harden our hearts to God.

As I reflect on these lessons, I am considering the difference between to “be open” and to “be opened.” To “be open” is something we chose to do. It is a conscious decision to open ourselves to hearing God’s word. But to “be opened” is God’s act upon us to open us up. Jesus opened up the deaf man’s ears by healing him. The Old Testament tells us about God’s attempts to get our attention and our lack of obedience. But instead of punishing us for not opening our hearts to God, God sent Jesus to heal us. It is through the healing touch of Jesus that we can “be opened” to hearing God’s voice.

It helps to pray that we might “be opened,” I think, when we feel that God has not spoken directly to us when we seek God’s voice. We may be willing to “be open” to God, but we may have too many hurts or insecurities to really hear God’s voice. From my experience, if I start first with a prayer for healing whatever it is in my life that closes me and hardens me to God, I am more likely to “be opened!” And so I pray with everyone who reads this reflection hoping to hear God’s voice, “Heal us of our self-imposed darkness and silence, Lord, that we might ‘be opened’ to hear your voice. Thank you for the healing touch of Jesus’s love in our lives.”