Fear No Fear

“Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord been revealed to him. The Lord again called Samuel a third time. So he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling to the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down. And it will be, if He calls you, that you will say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant listens.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place” (1 Samuel 3:7-9, MEV). God loves us enough to call to us even when we don’t know Him. God wants to communicate with us. God wants to talk WITH us, not AT us. But do we know Him enough to answer? Yes, we as believers know His voice (John 10:27), but are we LISTENING to it? Are we RESPONDING to it? There have been times when I have been awakened in the middle of the night and instantly awake. No grogginess. None of the usual fog. Instantly awake. I have never heard an audible voice, but when it happens I know there is something God wants to say. Some interaction. Perhaps He wants me to pray for someone. It’s been different every time. But I knew it was God calling. However, I do wonder how many OTHER times He has called and I have ignored Him? During the day, am I even listening? Even at night, has He awoken me but because of a child’s need or the sound of something else happening in the house, I didn’t acknowledge Him? Did I push Him to the background, deal with whatever was going on, and then go back to sleep? Do we ANSWER when He calls us? Have we spent enough time with Him to even recognize the call? As time marches on, this is a skill we need to develop. It isn’t enough to hear Him when we cry out to Him. It isn’t enough to hear Him when we’re studying the Word. It isn’t enough to hear Him when we are struggling with temptation and Holy Spirit is reminding us who we are in Jesus. We need to hear Him when HE calls. He has information we aren’t privy to. He knows when we need to be praying, talking to Him, thinking on Him, and worshipping Him. He knows what’s coming. He can prepare us. He can make sure we’re in the boat and not standing outside of it when the flood hits. We NEED His perspective on things. He likes to give it. He likes to let us know what’s going on (Amos 3:7). But we need to respond when He calls. We need to stop what we’re doing and acknowledge His voice. We need to listen. Get closer with the Lord. Spend more time seeking His conversation. Learn what that interplay is like. Feel it in your heart. And look for that feeling when He calls. Listen for His voice. Be ready to respond, listen, and obey.