This week Linda Wielinga has offered to share her reflections on the bible passages. Linda is from Port Perry, teaches art at Durham Christian High School, and is a participant in the Eastern Canada Leadership Development Network.
I Samuel 3
I love how this chapter starts out … “ And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent … And it happened …” What happened? God calls out to his people again. But who does he call out to? A boy. A young boy named Samuel. When does he call out … at night.
Isn’t that amazing? But yet it is both amazing and shameful that there was not an adult there who God felt should be called. God, as we saw in the previous chapter, states that he will “raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in my heart and in my soul” The current leaders in this setting were not following Gods heart or soul at all – quite the opposite.
God starts over with the boy Samuel.
What I found interesting is that God is looking for someone who will do exactly what is in God’s heart and in God’s soul. Samuel demonstrates this by not hiding anything from the message God told him during the night about Eli and the judgement that would come on his family. In verse 18, 19 they say, “So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail”
This is the key to God’s heart and soul – trust and obey. Just do what God says. Unfortunately this is an easier statement said than performed. Our humanness usually comes into the equation and we tend to be experts in human reasoning. Our human reasoning is bent towards meeting our own heart and soul’s desire.
“So how does a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. With all my heart I have sought Thee; do not let me wander from Thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:9-11
Prayer: Lord, keep me close to you. Jesus did this. Jesus kept close to you so that he could say “all things that I have heard from My father I have made known to you”. This is a choice that I must make every day. We don’t have to wait for a word from the Lord – we have it here with us, inside us, very near to us. Let us make good use of your word today while we still have it.