“Stony Ground” Hearers
And some
[seed] fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it
sprang up, because it had no depth of earth; but when the sun was up, it was
scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away.
And these
are they likewise which are sown on stony ground who, when they have heard the
word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and
so endure but for a time afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for
the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. -Mark 4:5-6,16-17
We’ve all seen
these “stony ground” people. They come to hear the Word of God, and they get
really excited about it. They say, “Oh, man, this is so good! I’ve been looking
for this for years!
But these
people are also “have-hearders.” They don’t settle down and continue to hear
the Word. Therefore, the Word they’ve heard never really takes root in them.
The minute
persecution and affliction come along for the Word’s sake (and they will),
these people stop hearing the Word and start hearing the persecution and
affliction. In six months, we wonder where they are. They’ve just blown away
with the wind.
When I first
found out that by Jesus’ stripes, I was healed, I said, “Thank God, I’ll never
be sick a day in my life again!” Then I spent the next six weeks battling all kinds
of symptoms!
As soon as you
get a revelation in the Word, the thief will try to steal that away through
persecution and affliction. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up saying, “Well,
I tried that, and it didn’t work.
Jesus said
these people endure only for a short time because they have no root in
themselves. (v. 17) How does God’s Word take root in us? By our hearing and
hearing. What we hear on a regular basis is what bears fruit in our lives.
CONFESSION:
I attend to God’s
Word, so it is rooted and grounded in my heart. When symptoms attack my body,
His Word rises up in me to heal, strengthen and comfort me.
From: A
Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999
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