Have you ever mistaken who was calling out to you? Have you heard a child yell, “Mom!” and thought they were calling to you? Have you heard someone in a crowd call out your name only to find out they were calling someone else with the same name?
Hearing your name called out can be exhilarating, bewildering, heartbreaking, or worrisome. The situation dictates how we react to our name being called. Hearing a child call our name in the midst of a large crowd can cause immediate worry, if not panic.
Have we missed God calling our name at some point during our lives? Maybe we have. Samuel missed God calling him twice. He thought Eli, the priest he was apprenticing to, had called him. Finally, the third time God called Samuel, he found out it was God. Samuel discovered it only because Eli had told him that if it happens a third time, it is God.
Can you imagine being a young child being called by God? Samuel must have been anxious. After all, God had not called prophets in several years. It was not common for anyone to hear from God, even the priests. Yet, a young boy is being called. There is no way Samuel could have been prepared for a call from God. We are often not prepared for God’s call either.
God calls out to us from time-to-time. He doesn’t typically call out in an audible voice. It is the quiet voice from inside. The Holy Spirit whispers to us. Or we might hear someone else who calling us for God. We simply need to pay attention. We need to keep our hearts and minds open to hear God calling us. As we become more attentive, we will hear God leading us more.
I pray we all hear God calling us. I pray we open our hearts and minds to hear God. I pray each one of us listen for the whisper of the Holy Spirit coming from within to lead us. Know that God calls you. Listen for the Holy Spirit. Be attentive. Open your heart and mind. Answer God’s call.
1 Samuel 3:4-5 Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.”
Marty Pressey 