The voice of God
The voice of God
And the Lord called again, Samuel! And he arose, and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou hast called me. But he said, I did not call you, my son, go back to bed. But Samuel still did not know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
1 Samuel 3: 6,7
We find two interesting facts at this point in the life of young Samuel. First, the voice of God was so much like Eli's voice that he became confused. Only in the movies does the voice of God echo through the air! In real life, the ways in which speech is easily identified with other voices, and who knows, with our own voice.
Next, we must stop and consider the phrase "... Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him." What we see here is the description of a beginner, a person who was initiating the learning process that would make him the great prophet and judge in Israel.
Understanding this is important. There is a thought among God's people that spirituality is inherited, or can be received by the laying on of hands. Many Christians are pacing back and forth seeking this "touch," or that "anointing" that automatically makes them great men or women of God. They are convinced that the greatness of illustrious characters in the history of the people of God is due to some special visitation or to the possession of some extraordinary gift that made them different from other mortals.
In fact, we cultivate the spiritual life with discipline. As with the development of the physical body, much of spiritual growth depends on elements beyond our control. Sometimes we do not even understand the mysterious processes that result in the transformation of our heart. What is certain is that we are called to walk in fidelity to God and allow Him to lead us toward maturity.
Here there are no great leaps, no sudden advances. Sometimes we experience extraordinary visits to His presence, but normal spiritual growth is the result of a slow and continuous process. The author of the letter to the Hebrews refers to this when he wrote: "But solid food is for adults, for those who by practice have their faculties exercised to discern not only good, but also evil" (5 : 14). Notice the phrase "for practice". Other versions translate "by constant exercise". Whatever the translation, they all highlight a learning process that includes the possibility of being mistaken, as happened to the young Samuel.
To think:
Someone once said, "Everybody wants to be something in life; But no one wants to grow. "What steps are you taking to better understand the mysteries of spiritual life? How do you exercise your senses to discern between good and evil?
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