42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”‘ 44 David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”
How many times have you read or heard something and then suddenly something else pops out at you that you never saw before? This Psalm must have been read hundreds of times by all these religious leaders. And yet they had never seen this rather obvious conclusion, that the Christ was more than simply a descendent of David. Their first impression had become their lasting impression. They knew a son would never call a father “Lord”, so they skipped over that part. They focused on the physical linage of David. They kept looking for a human descendent to rule in David’s place. They had missed the point of the verse. There was something happening with David’s descendent that went beyond human linage. The Christ was more than David’s descendent. But they had missed it. What are you reading and hearing that is so familiar that you miss the real point and don’t even know it? One of the reasons I read the original languages of the Scriptures is to force me to slow down and pay attention to the text. I think I know what the Scriptures say, so I just run right through them when I read them in English. So slowing down is forcing me to pay particular attention to the details, the nuances of the Scriptures. I also write this Blog in order to force myself to pay attention to the text. What are you doing in your life to slow down and pay more attention to what God wants to say to you? Or is your devotional life one more checkbox on your daily planner? Check! Have you slowed down to hear your children today, really heard them? If you do, you will hear all sorts of struggles and insecurities. How about your neighbors and coworkers? Slowed down to hear them lately? I want to encourage you to slow down and listen again to the voices in your life. Some you have been listening to you will want to turn off. Some you will want to keep on your favorites list. Don’t be afraid to make a change. Want to really be radical, take time to really listen to your spouse, not just what they say with words, but with their actions as well.
The Arnold Journey 