1 Unknown Caller

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. Again the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD; The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." The Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" The Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." - 1 Samuel 3:2-10

Have you ever had a moment like Samuel in this story? You hear God calling your name but you don't know who it is? Or, do you hear God calling your name and you aren't ready to listen to what he has to say? Today we are going to talk about God revealing himself to us and how we can learn to listen and be able to distinguish his voice.

Y'all, I'm going to let you in on one of my secrets. Talking on the phone is just not something I enjoy doing. Awful, I know! I am horrible at catching my phone on the first ring. My mom will call me and I usually have to call her back because I can hear my phone ringing in my purse but I just can't find the dang thing! If I don't recognize the number, you better know that it is going straight to voicemail. Or, if I do recognize the number but know that I don't have time/don't feel like talking at the moment, I just let it ring and call them back later.

What if, instead of my mom being on the other line, God chooses to dial my digits? And, when he dials I keep missing the phone every time it rings?!? When I finally do pick up the phone and hear the voice at the other end, my reply is, "Sorry, I believe you have the wrong number."

When I meet someone for the first time, I usually keep the conversation pretty casual. I am sincere but it is rare for me to open up my insides and reveal all of my struggles. It takes me trusting people to finally let them in on my fears, concerns, and thoughts for my life. When we started the blog, I was very nervous about being so open with people that I have never talked to, let alone never even met! But, God put this on my heart to share with others so that is what I am doing.

Friends, I am really struggling with a situation right now. I feel as though God has revealed part of his plan for my life and I am so scared to take the next step. I believe in him and trust in him but it is so far from anything I ever thought I would do. Lately, I feel like God has been saying Christen! Christen! but I continue to go to my modern day Eli. Now, knowing that he has called my name I have to make a decision as to whether or not I will be his humble servant.

Needless to say, I am very overwhelmed. I have gotten advice from family and friends but it is still hard for me to take that leap of faith. Does anybody else struggle with this like I am? I would love to know.

Today, I read some scripture about God revealing himself to women. This one verse is so beautiful and it shows me that he does make himself known to man. It is from Amos 4:13, "He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth - the LORD God Almighty is his name."

While that verse gives me comfort, I am still fearful of what lies ahead. But, I am even more fearful of not listening to God and totally missing the boat. This next verse reminds me of something a granddad would say while rocking on the front porch swing chewing sunflower seeds:

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" - Romans 8:18

From reading scripture, the word reveal has different Hebrew-Greek terminologies, but mainly they all mean to share, to declare something, to bring to light. We all know I am a fan of light and letting our lights shine so it gives me peace to know that God sheds light on a situation so we know which way to go in the dark. The Greek word apokalupto talks about how things are revealed from God through Christ. What does this mean, exactly? My thoughts are that once we have Christ in our hearts we have a sense of knowing that we have to follow him in every decision that we make.

"But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus." - Galatians 1:15-17

I want to be more like Peter. When Christ was revealed to him, he stopped everything he was doing to take up his cross and follow him. He didn't get any one's approval or even check with the other apostles to make sure he was cool in the gang, he just went - right then and there - and started to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Friends, aren't we modern day Samuel's in some crazy way? We just don't recognize the voice that is calling our name? God calls us multiple times and we either finally pick up the phone or we block that number so we never have to listen to what he has to say.

Are you ready to listen? Am I ready to listen?

I would love to hear of how you have heard God and have listened to his plans for your life. Also, before we end the post today, I want to give you a spoiler that cool things are cookin' in the Price house for this blog so stay tuned!

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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