See, hear, act

Sometimes one can find themselves opposed by a person or group of people whose objections make little rational sense. When these times are driven by emotional opinions and diatribes, they may be little that can be done to make one’s rebuttal. These times can display an attachment to present satisfactions with no concern about future implications. Paul once found himself in such a position with those who were attached to the Jewish law in efforts to please God. Instead of presenting a united case against what Paul was saying, they began disagreeing and arguing with one another. In such a situation, there is little more to be gained with rational discussion until calm can be gained. In this discussion, the people began to leave the discussion. Because of his concern about his ethnic brothers, Paul made a final statement to prompt them: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet: “‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”- Acts 28:25-26 (ESV) This should prompt us to realize that many times the things God says through the Holy Spirit are not easily grasped. God’s ways are not the  ways we might readily accept. While God’s ways are ultimately best; adopting them may take some time to fully integrate them into our practices. We must attempt to grasp God’s word and rely on it for our actions. We must “see” it, or realize it; we must “hear” it, or put it into practice.