“The reality is that the Lord never calls the qualified; He qualifies the called.” - Henry T. Blackaby
I’ve read 1 Samuel 3 many times over. It’s one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. The story is that of Samuel as a boy; you probably know it. Samuel hears God calling him on three different occasions, and every time, he runs to Eli (his master) and says, “Here I am.” Eli at first doesn’t understand what is going on, but soon, he realizes that Samuel is hearing God Himself. He tells Samuel to go back to bed, and the next time he hears from God, to respond with “Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:9b ESV).
As I walked around the campus I now call home this evening, I had a while to reflect on what I’ve experienced so far these past few days. It’s been an incredible adventure; meeting new people, doing wacky activities, and experiencing a classroom setting saturated with a mingled love for knowledge and Christ. The sunset was absolutely GORGEOUS, and it really reminded me of how good God has been to me.
Before I returned, I noticed the prayer chapel in the center of campus, and so I decided I’d read some of my Bible. I was reminded of 1 Samuel 3; and as I reflected on this chapter, and the sun set, and the stream beside me murmured, I really thought about different ways God had called me to different things. He’s been shaping me into a leader, an encourager, a thinker, a dreamer… all of these things and more have been things that He has been working in me on, and I believe He will continue that work to completion (Philippians 1:6).
It really impressed me that Samuel, in these verses, was so persistent. Three different times he was called, and every single time he approached his master, and said, “Here I am.” There was no hesitation, no complaining, no excuses, and no complacency. He heard the call, and he went. It didn’t matter that Eli had sent him back two times already without any explanation, because Samuel was obedient and he was invested in what his master was doing.
I bookmarked this passage because it is one of my favorite passages to reflect on before a missions trip; my plane ticket to Maine that first year is the bookmark I use. It makes me contemplate on my own faith; am I sold out for Christ? Am I wholly obedient? Am I invested in what my Master is doing?
In many ways, I am not these things. However, just like the quote that I put at the top of this post says, I don’t need to be these things. The astounding fact is, God’s goodness is SO good that He can overcome any shortcoming or weakness that I have. And oftentimes, the greatest adventures we are led on are simply because we just tell God, “Yes, I will follow where You lead.” I mean, Samuel responded with, “Here I am,” and “Speak Lord,” and he ended up being a prophet to a king. What an incredible, wonderful thing surrender is!
I know that to #LiveItLikeJesus, we need to be willing to say the same things.
Good stuff David. That's a pretty important scripture lesson. We need to drive this lesson home, so we'll hear when He calls!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! Too often we miss out on the opportunity to join God in His work, and settle for lesser things.
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