When God Calls and You’re Not Listening
He hears a voice that rouses him from his sleep and thinking it to be the priest he presents himself to him. Yet the priests tells him that he didn’t call him. Once. Twice. Three times. Only then does the priest realize what is happening.
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth. So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’”
~ 1 Samuel 3:8-9
With this great advice, young Samuel begins a journey that will make him into a spiritual leader of the people of God. Yet, if it wasn’t for the guidance of Eli—although he wasn’t not so holy himself—we might never have known the prophet Samuel. This story teaches us the necessity of spiritual direction, friends who can see from an objective manner, and help us to see with clarity. God can and does use people to lead us to Him.
Responding to the Call
The word of the LORD came to Jonah, son of Amittai: Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it; for their wickedness has come before me. But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish, away from the LORD. He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down in it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the LORD.
~ Jonah 1:1-3
He too heard the call. But he grabbed his stuff and ran as far away as he could. He didn’t want to have anything to do with God’s mission. This is something most of us can relate to. How often do we find ourselves at odds with God’s plan for our lives. We want to be good people, to help others, to make a difference. But not if it requires any extra effort. And especially not when it takes us out of our comfort zone.
The waters surged around me up to my neck; the deep enveloped me; seaweed wrapped around my head. I went down to the roots of the mountains; to the land whose bars closed behind me forever, But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD, my God.
~ Jonah 2:6-7
But you can’t run from God. And Jonah finally realizes this as he finds himself in dire straights, literally hitting rock bottom. How many of us deny God and reject His every invitation. Then when we find ourselves in the midst of the storms life, suffering and hopeless, we call out to Him for help? So too was Jonah’s heart converted. Yet, even when he answers the call and goes to Nineveh, he is angry with the fact that the people repented. He felt that they were not worthy of God’s mercy.
Sometimes, many times, God calls us to do things that we do not want to do. Or other times the mission that God gives us has unexpected results. But the results are not in our hands. He calls us to push the rock, whether or not the rock will move is up to Him. The point He is trying to get across, the lesson He wants us to learn, is that when we live for Him, when seek to do His will we are made glorious. That is the purpose of this life, to learn to walk with God.
Let us respond like Mary, “May it be done unto me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38)