Whispers From Above
As I prepared to write this blog, I spent much time in prayer as to what to say. Many of you are aware that the choir has a time of devotion prior to each rehearsal. I had some dear friends give me a gift several years ago that I just began to use with the group. It is a devotion book entitled Please Don't Ask Me to Sing in the Choir! It is written by Thomas L. Are who was serving as the Senior Pastor of Shallowford Presbyterian church in Atlanta, GA at the time of publishing. Each entry has a different message and speaks through the heart of a musician, specifically a volunteer church choir member.
One passage particularly spoke to me and has stayed with me over the past several weeks. The Scripture message for this devotion came from 1 Samuel 3:4-5. If you read the first part of chapter 3 (vs. 1-1-), it tells of the lord calling Samuel. The Lord called to Samuel three times before Eli realized that it was God calling him. When Samuel went to Eli the third time thinking that the voice he heard was Eli's, the Bible tells us that it is then that Eli realizes that the voice is the Lord's. Eli then instructs Samuel how to answer the next time he is called.
The author of the devotion shares a message that he heard in church on this particular passage. He stated that the pastor said that God calls us today just as loudly as He called Samuel. However, the author wrote that for him, God called in whispers. I know it is that way for me. Not all of us hear God loudly speaking to us. In fact, many of us may even miss His voice if we are not listening for it. Thomas Are wrote that in many instances, the voice of God is natural and can be explained away, just like Samuel mistook His voice for Eli's.
God can speak to us through our everyday lives. For me, God speaks through song. It is through music, whether listening, playing, or singing, that I hear the Lord's voice. Sometimes, I am not listening carefully enough and miss that soft call. Other times, I am more focused and waiting for His voice. For you, it may be in the beauty of nature that you hear God's voice. it may be the laughter of children for someone else. It may be a time of fellowship for others.
The point is that God is still in the business of calling to us all. But, don't think that He isn't calling to you just because you don't hear Him as loudly as Samuel did. Instead, be still and wait. Be ready to listen when His voice does speak. The Psalms say this over and over again in one way or another. For example, Psalm 37:7 reads, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him..." And again from Psalm 37 the 34th verse, "Wait for the Lord and keep his way." The Lord is speaking to us day in and day out. We have to be open to hearing His voice and be ready to hear it when He speaks.
One passage particularly spoke to me and has stayed with me over the past several weeks. The Scripture message for this devotion came from 1 Samuel 3:4-5. If you read the first part of chapter 3 (vs. 1-1-), it tells of the lord calling Samuel. The Lord called to Samuel three times before Eli realized that it was God calling him. When Samuel went to Eli the third time thinking that the voice he heard was Eli's, the Bible tells us that it is then that Eli realizes that the voice is the Lord's. Eli then instructs Samuel how to answer the next time he is called.
The author of the devotion shares a message that he heard in church on this particular passage. He stated that the pastor said that God calls us today just as loudly as He called Samuel. However, the author wrote that for him, God called in whispers. I know it is that way for me. Not all of us hear God loudly speaking to us. In fact, many of us may even miss His voice if we are not listening for it. Thomas Are wrote that in many instances, the voice of God is natural and can be explained away, just like Samuel mistook His voice for Eli's.
God can speak to us through our everyday lives. For me, God speaks through song. It is through music, whether listening, playing, or singing, that I hear the Lord's voice. Sometimes, I am not listening carefully enough and miss that soft call. Other times, I am more focused and waiting for His voice. For you, it may be in the beauty of nature that you hear God's voice. it may be the laughter of children for someone else. It may be a time of fellowship for others.
The point is that God is still in the business of calling to us all. But, don't think that He isn't calling to you just because you don't hear Him as loudly as Samuel did. Instead, be still and wait. Be ready to listen when His voice does speak. The Psalms say this over and over again in one way or another. For example, Psalm 37:7 reads, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him..." And again from Psalm 37 the 34th verse, "Wait for the Lord and keep his way." The Lord is speaking to us day in and day out. We have to be open to hearing His voice and be ready to hear it when He speaks.
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