We live in an age of communication overload. We have cell phones in our pockets, tablets in our briefcases, and laptops on the go. We receive text messages, emails to let us know that someone wants to contact us on Facebook, and phone calls day and night. Even our cars come complete with mobile access.
How do we know when God calls?
Everyone steeped in the Bible knows of the story of Samuel. He was a child of his mother’s old age, and she vowed to give him to the Lord. We read in 1 Samuel 3:3 that when he was still a child, the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and the child was laid down to sleep in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was. Jehovah summoned Samuel; and he said, “Here am I.”
Of course, the story is much longer, for Samuel thought Eli was calling him. It was later that he learned to recognize God’s voice. However, each time God called, the boy was quick to reply, “Here am I.”
Sometimes God is not so obvious. He starts his calling many years before he needs us to answer. Read starting in Esther 1:17. Queen Vashti had refused to come before the king, and he was furious. To make an example of her, he established a decree to all the kingdom decrying her stubbornness, and her estate was given to another.
What part of this was God, we ask? All of it. God was building the phone towers, for he had a call to broadcast. The time was not ripe, but he had a plan in place.
The king then sent for maidens from all the realm, for he desired a new queen. Among those who came was Esther.
We know the rest of the story. Esther went before the king at risk of her own life to plead for the lives of her people. The Jews were saved from certain genocide, and those who wished them ill were destroyed instead.
Years before, God knew he intended to call Esther. All she had to do was respond to his call. Yet, she was queen. What better excuse did she have to ignore putting herself in dire peril? She could have denied her involvement in the matter and continued living in her luxurious estate.
Jeremiah 5:12 speaks to those who would deny the voice of God. Jeremiah says, “They have denied Jehovah, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine.”
Later in the passage, God speaks of how he will bring the house of Israel low until they realize he has given them all good things, and they return to him.
God may not use Facebook to contact us, but whether he speaks with a whisper in the dark, or by moving the hands of kings, he will do whatever it takes to get our attention. We are wise to listen.
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Rewind Wednesday: Originally Published March 8, 2013 in Discipleship