God is calling you!
Have you ever had thoughts about what it is to truly hear from God? I mean, this is the same sense as the “knowing” of Eve by Adam mentioned in Genesis 4:1. Hearing from God should be an intimate transaction. It is to make oneself open, receptive… not just to “hear” but to know God well enough that there is understanding paired with the hearing (knowing).
To know God in this intimate way, it must be a reciprocal knowledge, which means we must be completely vulnerable with Him. Opening ourselves up, freeing ourselves of the cares of this world so that our complete and utter focus is on Him.
In 1 Samuel 3:1 it says, “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not too many visions.” NIV
Samuel ministered. The Hebrew word for "minister" is "sharath," meaning "to serve, attend, or assist." I’m a visual person, so in my mind I am picturing what a servant, especially of that time, would have been doing. He would have been always watching his master, anxiously anticipating his every need, in action at the mere utterance of a sound! To know someone’s desire or need before they even speak takes watching, watching until you KNOW them. His focus had to ALWAYS be on the One whom he served. Can you imagine being that intimate with our Father? How awesome!
I’m not done though; it gets so much better!
It goes on in Samuel 3:2-10 to recount the calling of Samuel by God. When God begins to call his name, Samuel initially believes it to be Eli who may be calling him. I think, as a child, it would be only natural to think that it was occurring in the natural realm. There is a part of me, though, that thinks it may have been a possibility that Samuel knew deep down that it was God but maybe had a little fear and trembling at how to respond. God calls him 5 times. What, you may ask, does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Glad you asked! Nothing, and I mean nothing, in the Bible is of little consequence. It is ALL part of the beautiful portrait He is painting. The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is “heh,” which means “look” or “behold.” It represents divine breath, revelation, and light.
So picture this: Samuel is sleeping directly on the other side of the veil in the temple. The other side of the veil is where the presence (Spirit) of the Lord resides. He is essentially WAITING on the Lord, which is what a servant does. When Samuel answers the Lord after 5 times of Him calling his name, he gets in position to BEHOLD. What does that look like? It is the picture of one standing in worship and wonder!
The Lord was calling Samuel to a position to be greatly used by Him. This required obedience and loyalty, which he proved by delivering the prophecy to Eli. In return, the Bible says, "The Lord was with him as he grew up, and He let NONE (emphasis mine) of his words fall to the ground” (1 Sam 3:19).
“And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.” But Samuel was so full of God that his word was the same as God’s! Perfect alignment through total surrender.
THAT is the kind of relationship I want with my Father! He is calling us all, HEH!, to get in position to worship in Spirit and in Truth.
- Anna Duncan