Rebel Hearts

Ezekiel 2: 8 “But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

I recently took my 3-year-old grandson to an indoor playground where he could release some of his unspent energy. At one point I asked him to slow down and be careful. His response was priceless: “I don’t think I can hear you.” What a shock to learn this adorable bundle of joy shares undeniable traits of fallen humanity! His perception of what was good at the moment had more pull than instructions from his (very wise) grandma.

As much as we say we want to hear God, each of us must deal with our “rebel heart” as Lauren Daigle sings. The nation of Israel was no exception. In the book of Ezekiel, the Lord tells the prophet to speak to the people even though they would not listen. In the space of 6 verses in Chapter 2, he refers to Israel as “rebellious” six times (v. 3-8). Not listening to God is the first sign of a rebel heart.

One of the direst consequences of not listening comes in the form of deception. People who refuse to listen to the truth need to justify their behavior so they make up their own truth and in time actually believe it (2 Thessalonians 2:10). I know people, and you probably do too, who literally rebuild reality in order to rationalize everything from their refusal to forgive to why it’s okay to cheat. I even heard a woman once say she had to leave her husband in order to serve Jesus. But what it all boils down to is our human proclivity to rebel against the God who created us.

It isn’t always easy to hear God. It could be I don’t think I can hear you reflects an honest appraisal of our situation. In those cases, all we need to do is take a little wax out of our ears. That’s very different than saying I can’t hear because I don’t want you to interfere with what I’m doing. It’s a dangerous mindset. In fact, it’s right down foolish. Refusing to listen to God turns once soft hearts into rebellious habitats of deception.

So these days I’ve been singing along with Lauren Daigle. Take this rebel heart and make it yours….

How about you?