TUESDAY

SCRIPTURE: Luke 9:28-36

Listening can be difficult, especially when we are excited and eager to share what we have experienced. Enthusiastic sharing can be beautiful and moving. Yet there are times when what we say would be wiser if shaped first by careful listening.

Each of us carries assumptions shaped by culture, experience, and our own way of seeing the world. These lenses can make it hard to truly hear someone whose words do not fit our expectations.

In today’s passage, the disciples struggle to listen carefully to Jesus. Their misunderstandings lead them to premature conclusions and even draw a direct response from God.

As you read today’s Scripture and observe the communication dynamics in the story, consider the following questions:

• What assumptions did Peter bring to what he was seeing and hearing that kept him from fully understanding what Jesus had already been saying to them in verses 21 to 27?

• Why do you think this misunderstanding persisted for so long?

• How can our spiritual priorities become distorted when we remain unaware of our own assumptions? What examples of this have you seen or experienced?

• When God speaks from the cloud, what do the disciples most need to hear?

• As you reflect on this passage, is there anything God may be trying to say to you that your own assumptions are making difficult to hear?

• What might you need to listen to more carefully or take more seriously right now?

• After God speaks, the disciples are left alone with Jesus. Beginning and ending with a focus on Jesus helps us listen well. In what ways have you found this to be true in your own life?

Take a few moments to be with God in prayer, sharing what you have been hearing as you reflect on this passage.