Wednesday, December 7, 2011

"Heaven Hears a Who"

I was only a boy of 8 or 9 years old when I first read Dr. Seuss’ story, “Horton hears a Who.” Even at that age I could grasp its poignant message. Consider the first few pages…

On the fifteenth of May, in the Jungle of Nool,
In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool,
He was splashing… enjoying the jungles great joys…
When Horton the elephant heard a small noise.

So, Horton stopped splashing. He looked toward the sound.
“That’s funny,” thought Horton. “There’s no on around.”
Then he heard it again! Just a very faint yelp
As if some tiny person were calling for help.
“I’ll help you,” said Horton. “But, who are you? Where?”
He looked and he looked. He could see nothing there
But a small speck of dust blowing past through the air.

“I say!” murmured Horton. “I’ve never heard tell
Of a small speck of dust that is able to yell
So you know what I think?... Why, I think that there must
Be someone on top of that small speck of dust!
Some sort of creature of very small size,
Too small to be seen by an elephant’s eyes…

“… some poor little person who’s shaking with fear
That he’ll blow in the pool! He has no way to steer!
I’ll just have to save him. Because after, all,
A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

In Mark chapter 8 Jesus cast a very large and welcoming net for followers by asking for anyone to connect by articulating the phrase “whosoever will.

34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.


Seuss’ poetic children’s story tells the of an elephant named Horton who discovered a microscopic community of people living on a small speck of dust. It turns out that this small speck is a tiny planet with a town called “Who-ville”, inhabited by a race of people called… you guessed it, “Who’s”

The Mayor of Whoville asks Horton to protect them, which he happily agrees to, proclaiming throughout the story that “even though you can’t see, or hear them at all. A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

In doing so he is ridiculed and persecuted for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear.

The implied sense of the story is that there are unseen people all around us. We see ourselves at times as being so small and insignificant that no one hears us or sees us…

It’s not a great leap for us to feel this way for in a very real sense we are made of the simplest of things… we are dust… God formed us by gathering the dust of the ground and breathing into it the breath of life.…. Abraham said I am but dust and ashes… (Gen 18:27.) At funerals, you often hear the familiar phrase, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

So, I would say that it’s very natural to feel insignificant sometimes in this life. It’s very realistic that we at times feel small in relation to the big things going on around us.

One of those BIG things is God himself! The book of Revelations tells us that (Rev 17:14)
• he is Lord of lords, and King of kings:
In Isaiah (6:1)
• sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

We can easily feel that God is too far away and above our concerns…

But he sees…

• He remembered us in our lowly state(Psalm 136:23) Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

He sits high and looks low…

Mary the mother of Jesus said in Luke 1:48-49
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

If you could allow me a little liberty with my imagination, but I wonder how many people that the shouting “Whoville” Mayor on the speck passed before he found someone who could or would hear him?

Jesus said (Matt 10:29-31)
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Not only does he know how many hairs are on your head; he knows the number of each one)
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me!

He’s not so much concerned with the “Rich’s,” the “Poors,” the “wealthy’s”, the “without’s”, the “have’s” and the “haven'ts,” – the categories in life -- he’s just concerned with the WHO’s because the “whosoever will’s” are in every walk of life

The writer of Psalms 139 had an understanding of Gods intimate connection with us…

Psalms 139:1-4

1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

The story of Jesus is much more involved than any children’s book could ever be; because Jesus doesn’t just listen, he does something… He saw us on our little “speck,” and rather than just speaking to our problem, he (1 Timothy 3:16) was manifest in the flesh and stepped down into our insignificance; seeing life on our level; that’s how much he cares for you…

Isaiah 53:3-4
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Revelation 22:17And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

He is the one who heareth, and HE IS the one who says come… Heaven hears You… Don’t stop crying out… He hears you…

2 comments:

  1. Love this post... hearing you preach the message was a whole lot more impacting though! So proud of you!!

    ReplyDelete