Will you let the Lord say anything to you, even if you don't understand it or if it seems "too good to be true"? If today you hear His voice, is your heart hardened or opened? (see Ps 95:7-8) The Lord desires that we would listen to Him. He pleads: "If only My people would hear Me..." (Ps 81:14).
One week from today will be the last day of Lent. Throughout Lent, the Lord has been preparing us to hear a special Easter message. We have only one more week to open our hearts.
The Lord wants to say something to us like: "Before Abraham came to be, I AM" (Jn 8:58). Jesus is saying that the long-awaited Messiah has come, that He is the Messiah, and that He is God. However, most people of Jesus' time were not ready to hear such great news. Accordingly, they rejected Jesus and picked up rocks to throw at Him (Jn 8:59).
God likewise had some great news for Abraham. The Lord announced He was making an everlasting covenant with Abraham to make him "the father of a host of nations" (Gn 17:4). Even though it was hard to believe, Abraham received God's Word. He laid prostrate before the Lord and listened to God's voice.
Did you ever have great news to share and it repeatedly fell on deaf ears? Then you can relate to the Lord and why He's trying to open our hearts this Lent.
| PRAYER: | Sacred Heart of Jesus, give me an open, warm, humble, loving, listening heart. |
| PROMISE: | "I solemnly assure you, if a man is true to My word he shall never see death." –Jn 8:51 |
| PRAISE: | Pete has been studying Scripture daily for over thirty years. He teaches the Bible each week to several groups. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College