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. The Lord came
and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said,
“Speak, for your servant is listening.”
1 Samuel 3:7-10
Years went by that
a still small voice continued to call my name.
Although each time I denied the calling, He never stopped and His hand
remained open. The day arose when I
finally realized that Voice was my Savior. . .
Before coming into
a relationship with my Lord and Savior, I continued on a path which unbeknownst
to me led in the opposite direction. The
prayers lifted remained empty of faith.
Each day, I spoke the same words in disbelief any answer would
come. So wrapped up in my eating
disorder, I could not see past the lies feeding my illness. Satan had a tight grip on the situation and
loved to deter me from answering that voice heard daily.
Choosing the
straight path increases the fiery darts shot from the enemy. Each day a battle occurs for our soul; the
enemy whispers lies to veer from Truth, working diligently to quiet the Lord’s
voice. The world stirs up stormy waters
to drown out His voice. Fleshly desires
veer our path to the right and to the left.
I can recall lying down each evening praying for God to end this battle
and bring me Home. Waking up to the same
situations, the same lies and the same emotions kept me from the freedom He had
in store. So, day in and day out I rode
the crashing waves of this stormy life. . .reaching for the same escapes to
find relief for just a short bit. I
answered the wrong voice as Samuel did numerous times. I answered the voice of fleshly desires and
anything to numb out my pain.
It took ten long
years of running to realize the stronghold causing me to ignore His voice. And though I wish I could say that now I hear
Him loud and clear proceeding to answer every call He makes; I cannot make that
statement. I still struggle often to
hear clearly His direction when making decisions, healing from hurts or doing
the right thing in the moment.
Thankfully, our God’s love and forgiveness never ends. As we approach the cross, lay it all down in repentance,
He forgives and washes us clean.
“The Lord was
with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words
fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to
Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued
to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.”
1 Samuel 3:19-21
Once coming to
accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the daily battle is already won. No need to fight the crashing waves, run to
fleshly escapes or fear what is to come.
He will remain by your side, work diligently within your soul to guide
each step taken and protect the path laid down for your life. Not a moment will be wasted for He works all
things out for His good for those who love and accept Him.
Stormy waters will
still appear. . .you may be in some currently, but rest assured that God will
keep your head above and see you through to calm waters. Listen closely; He is calling you by
name. He holds great plans for your
future.
And always. . .
Keep praying harder
than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig
No comments:
Post a Comment