When the Lord Calls

Unsure,

Do you ever wonder what the right move is?

Where to go next?

How is God calling you today?

How should I personally inspire someone into a relationship with Jesus?

How should I inspire myself into a relationship with Jesus?

There are a lot of pathways we could take in heading on to our calling to love the Lord our god with all our heart soul and mind. We kinda get lost in the weeds .

We want to be as effective as possible, not living second hand lives but working hard to produce fruit in whatever aspect of life God is calling us to produce fruit in.

I know I usually come up to talk about inspiring others but today that is just a side thought to the greater converstation I want to have with you to day.

I want you to awnser one question, are you inspired to follow Jesus and have a growing relationship with him?

If the answer is no then I have a message for you today.

If the answer is yes I invite you not to tune out but to tune in because:

There maybe a day when you feel uninspired. When you feel in a slump of faith and your unmotivated to put energy into Jesus.

I want to encourage you to listen for the Lords calling on how to deepen your faith when when you are not sure he is speaking to you.

The Lord wants us to follow him in his ways, he is leading and guiding us along his righteous path, however we sometimes are unsure of where that next step may be. However he still calls us to it even when we do not recognize his voice.

There are plenty of biblical examples of following God’s call into the deep life of a relationship with him. Famously we can see the apostle Paul who while on the road to Damascus encountered Jesus who completely changed his life.

However I want to talk about another biblical fiqure who hears the calling of the Lord. However they do not know his voice yet.

I want to talk about Samuel in 1 Samuel 3, See where we meet Samuel here we are at the beginning of his life but not his story. a quick view of his story is that his mother, Hannah prays to God that she would have a son, and in that vows he would be a nazarite. So, when Samuel is born he is take to Eli at the temple and Eli raises him there, So begins God’s favour on him. Following that when Samuel is still young he has this encounter with God.

1 Samuel 3:1–3 NIV

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 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 house of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

This meaning that God’s presence is still in the room at the time that Eli and Samuel are heading to bed, and Samuel now sleeping in the pressence of the Ark of the Covenant which was God’s pressence, that when the philistines captured this ark of the covenat would go and get rid of it becuase they would say “God came into our camp”. Of course becuase they were not God’s people and obviously just stole the ark from God’s people there was curses and punishment on them.

The ark although this physical thing, was also the symbol of God’s presence.

So knowing all this about Samuel, that he was not only a young boy with God’s favour upon him, but he was also sleeping in the presence of God.

I kinda spoil how this story is going to go, but lets read along at verse 4

1 Samuel 3:4–9 NIV

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. A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then 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.

Wisdom is shared

What you would you have done if you were Samuel?

Not knowing the voice of God, what he sounds like or event that he speaks in words to people.

Samuel does what anyone would do when they have their name called out to them check out the person who they think is calling them. Meeting Eli perparing for what he is about to say and to only be sent away, three times Samuel is sent away. However coul dyou imagine the story if Samuel never got up the seconad or third time and Eli could have never told him, listen it is the lord speaking to you!

See it was Samuel persistance in understanding what is happening, he was not complacint in the noise, accepting for the first time that Eli never called him and that he must be hearing something rattling outside or he settles that it’s a werid night.

He seeks out the wisdom from his mentor, that if what he is hearing is his name being called out when he must find the source of that who is calling him.

Eli must be calling, even if he is not calling he is the one closed who will listen to what is happening.

It was never Samuel accepting what is, but rather his searching for it.

Although you may not know the calling God has on you yet, do not stop looking for it.

Just as Samuel gets up from his sleep in efforts to find his name being called, do not stop moving towards the source of that who calls you. Meet with those who you consider wise and ask them, help me discern this calling.

Who do you run to when God calls your name?

Who do you seek when you feel a calling on your heart?

Who do you wake up in the middle of the night and say help me discern this message from God?

I encourage you to keep those people around, those who are like Eli who want to help with their years of wisdom over you and who in the middle of the night encourage you to seek God’s calling, to respond to his message.

Again this is not the solo mission of Samuel, for discernment of God’s will is never a one man Job, that is why he gave spiritual gifts to the whole church. To support each other when they hear from him, or they want to serve him.

I hope that here in this room there is a few people that you look upto in wisdom and that you could share your calling with. If you do not have someone like that I encourage you firstly to look for one, if you just started following Jesus or you have been doing this for 20+ years, find a mentor who wants to help you understand where God is calling you to.

But do not stop there, I got more to share.

Listen to his calling

1 Samuel 3:10–16 NIV

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ ” Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

Samuel takes Eli’s advice and moves towards listening to God what he has to say. This start the reputation that Samuel earns, the prophet of Israel, prophet meaning that he listens and hears God’s voice speaking his will.

Oh and Sam as we read has a horrible thing to relay on to Eli. His next move it to relay that info on to Eli. However we will pause her for a moment.

Samuel returns to God knowing now that it is him who is calling out,