Part 2: Calling
Day 10: The Calling of Samuel
1 Samuel 3:1-22
We do not always get a childhood narrative on our Biblical characters. Most often we catch up with them in their adulthood when they are about to start the work God has set aside for them. With Samuel we do get the narrative. Samuel’s story starts with his mom asking God for a child, then dedicating the child to God’s service. We picked up the story today as the child Samuel is learning to recognize God’s voice and respond.
When he first hears God’s voice, he does not quite know what to do with that. He needs guidance from those who have gone before him, but also a willingness to do what older people in his life are telling him to do. Successfully accomplishing what God calls us to do is rarely a solo act and will always require that we respond in obedience. But if obedience is present, then the saints can feel confident that they are doing kingdom work on God’s behalf.
The truth is that we often fail to respond in obedience. We often take the path of least resistance. We fail to listen to those who have gone before us, we fail to head the advice of wiser saints. When God calls, it can be easy to wait it out and hope it goes away. But Jesus Christ models for us what we have already seen in Samuel. Jesus perfectly submits to the will of the father in a way that none of us can do in our own strength. By the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus gives us the strength to be obedient to God’s call.
Prayer for a missionary or evangelist: Almighty and everlasting God, you called your servants to preach the Gospel to the people. Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
When he first hears God’s voice, he does not quite know what to do with that. He needs guidance from those who have gone before him, but also a willingness to do what older people in his life are telling him to do. Successfully accomplishing what God calls us to do is rarely a solo act and will always require that we respond in obedience. But if obedience is present, then the saints can feel confident that they are doing kingdom work on God’s behalf.
The truth is that we often fail to respond in obedience. We often take the path of least resistance. We fail to listen to those who have gone before us, we fail to head the advice of wiser saints. When God calls, it can be easy to wait it out and hope it goes away. But Jesus Christ models for us what we have already seen in Samuel. Jesus perfectly submits to the will of the father in a way that none of us can do in our own strength. By the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus gives us the strength to be obedient to God’s call.
- Who are some of the wiser saints that are helping you, or, have helped you in your own Christian journey?
- Are there younger believers you are invested in, are you helping others to live out their calling?
- Have you been able to hear God’s voice in your life (most often this is done through scripture meditation)?
- When God calls, are you preparing yourself to respond “speak, Lord, for your servant hears…”?
Prayer for a missionary or evangelist: Almighty and everlasting God, you called your servants to preach the Gospel to the people. Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.