“Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (Mark 7:31-36)

I love this about Jesus. When we don’t have a voice to call His name, He still hears the cry of our heart. Even when our hearts are too broken to cry out, He sees the unspoken, but deeply felt need and comes to us. He doesn’t wait for us to speak the right words in the right order. In fact, many times He comes before we’re even aware that we ever had a need.

I also love that when we are in a place where we can’t hear Jesus, He still speaks. He picks a thousand ways to speak love into our lives until one finds a way into our heart and resonates there. When every single other voice in our heads shout and clamor for our attention, it’s amazing to me how one still, small voice can drown them all out. How the One speaking that still, small voice has authority that none of the other voices have.

I love that while Jesus could  heal from afar, He doesn’t. He comes very close to where we are. He touches our ears and the beautiful sound of His voice is all we can hear. He touches our tongue and our mouths are suddenly open and filled with His praises. He speaks a very special word to us: “Ephphatha!”

He says to us, “Be open to Me and all I have for you. Take it all, the joy and sorrow, triumph and defeat, glory and suffering. Let my peace rule in your heart and let my Word reign in your mind. Let me fill you will all My perfect life and unconditional love. Be filled up with me, so that none of you is left and all the world sees when they see you is Me. That’s where your healing is taking you. To me.”

Amen and amen.