Daily
Devotional

When someone calls our name, our natural response is to look around to see who is calling. This is something we expect others to do when we call their names as well. However, I have noticed that, with children especially, now and then there is a reluctance to respond to a call. If they are expecting an undesired command, they suddenly seem unable to recognize their own names!

Sometimes that is true of adults, too, when it comes to hearing from God. Consider the Prophet Jonah. When Jonah heard the voice of God, he went in the opposite direction God had sent him. As a result, he went through a treacherous storm at sea and three days in the belly of a great fish before he decided he could do what God had asked of him. God had mercy and the whale dumped Jonah on the beach, and off he went to Nineveh to preach God’s message.

Samuel offers a dramatic contrast to Jonah’s example. God called Samuel at an early age, and though he did not know who had called, he responded immediately. He ran to Eli and said, “Here am I.” Eli informed the boy that he had not called him, but the same thing happened again. After the third time, Eli told Samuel that if the Voice called again, he should respond, “Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.” God called again, Samuel answered as he had been instructed, and God gave Samuel a revelation about His plans for Eli and his sons. Samuel and God had a great relationship after that.

There are other accounts in the Bible of people who obeyed God and people who did not. Those stories teach us a valuable concept: prompt obedience leads to blessings, while reluctance or disobedience brings a hard lesson. Isaiah 1:19-20 spells it out quite simply: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” The choice is yours and mine.

We want to be like Samuel, who was listening for God’s call and responded quickly when God spoke to him. May God give us hearts to hear when He speaks! Opportunity may only knock once, and we do not want to miss out on all God has in store for those who will hear and answer His call.