February 22, 2010, Mark 9

Key verse

“This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

(Mark 9:7)

Central Truth

To live intimately with God, we must be still and listen.


JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN ALREADY!

Out of all the people in the Bible, I really relate personally to Peter. I wish it were because I feel like a rock in the faith, but it is really because he was always opening up his mouth and getting into trouble. He spoke passionately but without a lot of thought before hand. We see him chastised and rebuked for his outbursts. “Get behind me Satan!” (Mark 8:33), “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” (John 13:8b), and most famously “’I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘today-yes tonight- before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” (Mark 14:30). He was zealous but not always wise.

So, it is not really surprising that during this amazing event we call the Transfiguration, Peter once again opens his mouth. “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters . . . .” (Mk 9:5) But what really caught my attention was the next verse: “He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.” (Mk 9:6) It was like Mark was justifying that Peter just had to say something. Do you do this? When someone asks you a question or there is an awkward pause in the conversation, do you just have to say something immediately? Do you ever stop to just listen or think before you say something?

I struggle with this. Listening. Silence is often unnerving for me. I can’t sit still. Rest? What is that? If I’m not “doing,” then something is wrong. Sometimes I talk so much I never listen. This happens a lot when I pray. To just sit quietly and listen for what God wants to say to me is like waiting for something in the mail. You want to have it, but you want it to just hurry up and get here. I need something to remind me to just be quiet and listen. (Is it any wonder that the first verse my husband ever gave to me was "Be silent, and know that I am God!" (Psalm 46:10)

Peter needed this reminder too. God spoke directly to him and the others in Mark 9:7. “Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’”

Listen to Him. Stop talking. Stop doing. And listen to His Son. He will refresh you and remind you of who you are, whose you are, and more importantly who He is. We need this, desperately. We were designed for this “conversational intimacy.” Adam and Eve experienced this in the garden and tragically lost it in the Fall. Our ache and thirst for love and relationship was created to be quenched by the unending love of God. We will never be satisfied without learning how to listen to His voice.