Thought for Today
Genesis 3:9 But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"
1 Samuel 3:8 The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.
Luke 1:38 Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
Acts 9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
Last month we sang one of my favorite hymns in worship, Softly and Tenderly. This morning, I woke up thinking about the first verse, “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me; See at the portals Christ waiting and watching, watching for you and for me.” Have you heard Jesus calling out to you? Have you heard God calling out to you?
If you are like me, you may have difficulty thinking in such terms. First, few of us would admit it if we did literally hear the voice of God calling out to us. Telling others you have literally heard the voice of God speaking would certainly raise eyebrows and might well initiate a telephone call to mental health providers.
Yet, in our Bible, we do read those stories of others hearing the voice of God. Adam heard God calling in Eden. Certainly God knew where Adam was. Where else could he have been? Adam and Eve had gotten lost. In the midst of the Garden of Eden, in what we now think of as a perfect, idyllic garden, they had become lost in willful disobedience, in sin. God called out to them; God called to them in words similar to the refrain in that hymn, “Come home, come home, All who are weary, come home.” Whenever we stray, we have the reassurance of the rest of that refrain, “Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling – calling, ‘O sinner, come home!’” Come back into relationship, come back to Eden.
Samuel was not lost in sin. Samuel was a young boy, apprenticed to the prophet Eli. But, Samuel heard the voice of God calling Samuel’s name. I wonder whether Samuel was awake or dreaming. Did he literally hear the voice of God, or did he dream he heard God’s voice? Does it make any difference? Either way, Samuel answered, “Here I am.” Not coincidentally, that is the title of another of my favorite hymns. Its refrain is, “Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.” Have you heard? Have you answered? Take note of Mary’s response when she was called by God.
Hopefully, none of us will be called to as daunting a task as was Ananias. Imagine how you might respond if called to willingly present yourself to a bitter enemy sworn to kill you and all who believe as you do. How would you respond? How would I? I suspect I would be dubious as to whether that was truly the voice of God I was hearing. Luke doesn’t tell us any details of how Ananias ‘heard’ the voice of God. We are told only his answer, “Here I am, Lord.”
In seminary, I took a seminar on discerning one’s call. There were six of us in the class. None of us had literally heard the voice of God or Jesus calling us to ministry . . . or at least wanted to admit hearing voices! As we shared our own ‘call narratives,’ it was obvious that each of us, in our own individual way, had ‘heard’ the voice of God calling to us, in the night or in the day. Each time I think about that experience, I think about God’s promise in that hymn, Here I Am, Lord. That hymn sings of God’s listening to the cries of God’s children and God’s promise to save all who cry out to God. Each verse ends with the same question, “Whom shall I send?”
I firmly believe God calls all God’s children into service. Each of us has an individual calling, aligned with the talents and abilities with which God has already equipped us. Obviously, as a ‘second career clergy,’ I also believe our callings may well vary during our lifetime. I served God in one capacity while I was an engineer, husband, father, coach, scout leader and Sunday School teacher. I now serve God as a pastor. At each stage of my life, God has called me and equipped me for God’s service.
So, when God or Jesus does call us, how do we hear their voices? We hear the voice of God in the world around us, in the needs of God’s children, in the events of our world. At the appropriate time, in God’s own time, God opens our hearts and minds to respond to God’s call. Christians respond when our God calls. In our own individual ways, with our own, individual God-provided abilities, we answer, “Here I am, Lord. I have heard you calling. I will go, Lord, if you lead me.” And God does lead us.
Stay safe, listen for and answer God’s call, trust God,
Pastor Ray