1 Samuel 3:9-10
Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He call thee, that thou shalt say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, and called as at other times, “Samuel, Samuel.” Then Samuel answered, “Speak, for Thy servant heareth.”
There are some people that are blessed to know exactly what they want to be at an early age. There are other folk whose talents and skills are so apparent that everyone knows what they were born to do. And then there’s the rest of us. Let’s face it, many of us languish between occupation to occupation, selling our precious time and life force to an employer in exchange for a few dollars; working just hard enough not to get fired, while getting paid just enough not to quit. Sound familiar?
Well, if it doesn’t, you’re exceptional. But if it does, all is not lost. Because in either case, there are attitude adjustments that must be made to best fulfill our individual calling in Christ.
Whether you began as a child, or very late in life, the same question invariably comes up time after time. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s the most frequently asked, but also the most frequently unanswered; because in many cases we have no idea. The question itself needs to be challenged. It presumes there is this imaginary master lists of professions, jobs and careers that you can magically chose from and become all that you hope to be. Unfortunately, that’s just not how it works. Crafting your calling in the work world takes deep contemplation, sacrifice and a good mentor wouldn’t hurt either.
And sadly, many of us come into the church with the same failed expectations that we had in the work world. We hope against hope that somehow, somewhere in the church we will mysteriously find our area of gifting and be all that God would have us be. But in the meantime, we are just content to sit and “wait on the Lord”.
Let me say categorically, no one is waiting for God to call them. God is waiting for you to answer the call he’s already placed on your heart.
The story of young Samuel is one of my favorite Old Testament accounts. I love the zeal and steadfastness of his mother Hanna. I am intrigued by the grit and determination of the young prophet as he grows in grace and power. But I’m most impressed by the aging and ailing prophet Eli. Let me tell you why. When Samuel came to Eli, he had every opportunity, and selfish reason, to use the young boy’s gifts and talents to serve his agenda. He could have steered the child any direction he wanted him to go. But instead, he maintained his integrity, and said the one thing that every good mentor must say from time to time. “I don’t know!!!”
In Eli’s honest confession that he didn’t know why God was calling Samuel, Samuel was free to explore the call of God on his own. He didn’t have the burden of trying to please the prophet, chase cultural norms, political correctness, traditions, overbearing leadership, denominational platforms, institutional biases or just blatant ignorance. Samuel was free to answer God in the best way he knew how. He could begin a true relationship with the Lord on his own. And that proved to be more valuable than any other advice Eli could have given him. Eli’s handling of this situation was extraordinary. We need more folk willing to be spiritual mentors, like Eli.
God’s selection of you is not random or haphazard. Chose chose you on purpose, with purpose, in purpose. Your gifting, your talents, your skill sets are divinely ordered and placed in you to blossom at just the right time. I refuse to believe that this pandemic we’re faced with is not in line with purpose. I have to trust that our not being able to gather, and do things that we’ve always done is not central to the plan God has for each of our lives. Romans 8:28 declares, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”.
Dear Children of the Most High, if it takes serious contemplation, sacrifice and a good mentor to make it in the world’s system, think how much more it takes to bring Kingdom into view. Kingdom values and Kingdom principles come straight from the heart and mind of God through his word and his Spirit. Trust me, he’s calling. Hear his voice. Answer his call. The call is just for you.
God bless
