07/15/2019
Half way through the seventh month of the year. Where does time fly? Don't know.
What I do know is that I've written another blog entry. As usual, here's the introduction. The full blog may be read at explorationinfaith.com. Thanks for reading and sharing.
How Do We Know We Are Doing God’s Will?
One of the most interesting callings from God in the Bible is that of Samuel. As a boy, he heard a voice calling to him, arousing him from his sleep. Rising from his bed, he went to Eli’s room, and asked if the elderly priest had called him. Assured that he must have been dreaming, Samuel went back to bed.
Once again, he was stirred from sleep by a person clearly calling his name. And once again he went to Eli, this time certain that he had been summoned. Again, Eli assured his young ward that Eli had not called him.
A third time it happened. Eli was a man who had made mistakes in life, particularly when it came to raising his sons, but he was also a man who was in tune with God. Realizing that Samuel really was hearing someone call him, the priest told the boy to go back to bed, and when he heard the voice call to him again, he was to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9).
The Bible says the Lord came down and stood there, calling to Samuel. This time, Samuel answered as Eli had instructed him to do, and thus began a remarkable ministry that led Israel through the transition of a fragile, loose confederation of tribes into a kingdom on the verge of greatness.
Reading the stories of the Old Testament, it’s easy to think that God speaks clearly and distinctly to those He calls. But experience teaches us that a clearly audible voice from God is not the norm. Instead, we find ourselves listening for the still small voice, hoping that we are correct in our understanding, and walking by faith, often a blind faith.
How can we know that God is really calling us, and how can we know that we are doing what He calls us to do?
