Are You Listening?

I read a blog post the other day that pretty much summed up my thoughts on the topic that the author, Alisa from Faith Imagined, presented:  Writer's Grace. You can find it here.  Here is a sample of what she said:

People who write about godly insights offer up their efforts only to realize that they've come up short. We will never be able to describe the fullness of every God-given insight. There will always be a different angle, a different aspect, a different interpretation, a different application and a different relevancy.

Kinda sounds like a disclaimer, huh?

Yep.

I don't know everything.  Or half of everything.  Or a quarter of everything.  You get the picture.

When I write, it's sometimes my thoughts, my opinions, or what God has spoken or is speaking to me personally.  I am not exempt from errors or making mistakes.  But His Word is.  So the only thing on my blog that doesn't need a disclaimer is each scripture that I directly quote from the bible. :)

I'm just a small fish in a big pond (someone should probably get credit for saying that). There are thousands of other women writers out there who love the Lord and write to encourage others.  I am 1 of many.  And I love that we can share and love and grow together. :)

Having said that.......on with my post! :)

I have been meditating on Samuel.  Particularly the beginning of his prophetic ministry.

In 1 Samuel 3, Samuel, while still a young boy, heard the Lord call his name - except he did not know that it was the Lord.  Why did Samuel not recognize that it was God who wished to speak with him?

V. 7 says, "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him."

"Knowing God" implies a personal experience or direct relationship with God. Although Samuel had ministered to the Lord (2:11) and had grown in stature and in favor both with the Lord and men (2:26), he had not yet experienced God in this way.  The study notes in my bible suggests that Samuel's "not knowing" God yet was due to immaturity.  So he didn't recognize God's voice not because he was away from God or didn't know who God was, but because the experience of hearing God was new to him.  He had not yet matured in this area.  But I think he was in a position to hear!  He was ministering before Lord, and his heart was to serve the Lord. 

In contrast, 1 Samuel 2:12 says the sons of Eli did not know the Lord because they were corrupt.  Because of their disobedience and sinful lifestyles, either God chose not to speak to them or they could not hear him.  Their sins magnify their heart condition, and their hearts were definitely not pursuing or seeking the heart of God .

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy.  Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 1 Samuel 3:8-9

Eli, the priest, knew God.  But he had chosen to honor his sons - even in their sin - before the Lord.  Why did it take Eli three times before he realized it was God who was speaking to Samuel? Was it, perhaps, because even though Eli knew the Lord himself, his dishonoring of God weakened his sensitivity to God?

Like Samuel, we can hear God's voice.  Maybe not always (or ever) an audible voice, but God still speaks.  We must position ourselves, make ourselves ready, and listen.  We must prepare our hearts, rid ourselves of anything that would separate us from God or harm our relationship or fellowship with Him.  We must honor God above everything and everyone.

A few mornings ago, while studying and meditating on this passage of scriptures and when Samuel first heard the voice of the Lord, Logan - my 5 year old - came running in the house from playing outside and said, "Yes, Mom? You called me?"  I said, "No, it wasn't me." He said, "But I heard my name, someone called my name really loud." So he asked his brother and cousins who were all inside the house playing the Wii at the time, and none of them had called him either. He came back to my room where I was still studying and I said, "Logan, maybe it was God. Maybe he wants to speak to you this morning." With a nod of his head, he disappeared into his bedroom for some quiet time.  A few minutes later he came out.  I asked, "Was it Him?" "Yes." "What did He say?" "He said He wants me to be proud of Him." So I explained that maybe God wanted him to brag about how good He is to all of his friends and to never be ashamed to share his faith.  Then I asked, "Did He say anything else?"  And Logan replied, "He said He loves me."

God never ceases to amaze me.

Not only should we position ourselves to hear from God, but we must prepare our children to know and expect for God to speak to them.

Are you listening today?