THE EAR OF THE HEART

Mary Van Balen wrote about the remarkable Harriet Tubman (1822-1913), “Harriet Tubman was the most well-known conductor on the underground railroad. She was born into slavery, escaped to freedom, and returned to the South 19 times, freeing around 70 others. (These numbers vary depending on the source.) A remarkable woman in countless ways, she seems to me to have been an “Advent listener.”
She said she didn’t travel alone. The Lord travelled with her, sometimes speaking to her and guiding her to safety. Many people thought she was delusional, but her story never changed. When asked what it was like to hear the voice of God, she said sometimes it was soft like a dream and sometimes it stung like a slap in the face. Either way, she needed to pay close attention to it before she knew what it meant. It led her by safe paths; it directed her to return to the South again and again.

The messages came unexpectedly, sometimes while she was leading a group, sometimes when she was asleep. The thing is, she heard it. Deep down, she was listening with the ear of her heart, all the time. Open. Ready. Harriet’s story reminds me of this passage in Isaiah: “Whether you turn to right or left, your ears will hear these words behind you, “This is the way, follow it.” (Isaiah 30: 21) We will hear if we are listening.”

“The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” Jesus