God Speaking to Us

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. The reading for today titled God Speaking to Us was written by Kenneth Peterson. I received a phone call from an unknown number.

Often I just let those calls go to voicemail, but this time I picked up. The random caller asked politely if I had just a minute for him to share a short Bible passage. He quoted Revelation 21, three through five, about how God will wipe every tear from their eyes. He talked about Jesus, how he was our assurance and hope. I told him I already know Jesus as my personal savior, but the caller wasn't aiming to witness to me.

Instead, he simply asked if he could pray with me, and he did, asking God to give me encouragement and strength. That call reminded me of another call in scripture. God called out to the young boy Samuel in the middle of the night. Three times Samuel heard the voice, thinking it was the elderly priest Eli.

The final time, following Eli's instruction, Samuel realized that God was calling him. Speak, for your servant is listening, he responded. Likewise, through our days and nights, God may be speaking to us. We need to pick up, which might mean spending more time in his presence and listening for his voice. I then thought of the call in another way. What if we sometimes are the messenger of God's words to someone else?

We might feel we have no way of helping others, but as God guides us, we could phone a friend and ask, would it be okay if I just prayed with you today? Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 1 Samuel chapter 3 verses 3 through 10. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, Here I am. And he ran to Eli and said, Here I am, you called me. But Eli said, I did not call, go back and lie down.

So he went and lay down. Again the Lord called Samuel. And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, Here I am, you called me.

My son, Eli said, I did not call, go back and lie down. 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.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you that you are the same God that speaks today. Help us to listen for your voice, to obey you, to surrender our lives to you and say yes Lord at every turn. And if you're calling us to make a call to someone in need today, help us to be your agent of love and reconciliation today. And it's in your name that we pray. Amen. Thanks so much for listening today. My name is Wes Ward, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Brad Ministries.