The Lord Calls Yet Again

Today’s Word Of Encouragement From Wayne:

“The Lord called yet again, ‘Samuel!’”

1 Samuel 3:6

The first time God had called to him, little Samuel did not know it was the Lord.

So, Samuel got up and went to Eli, the priest, assuming he had called him, as he was sleeping in the temple next to the ark.

Scripture goes on to tell us that, after Samuel reentered the temple and laid back down, “the Lord called yet again, ‘Samuel!’” This second time God called, He emphatically said “Samuel!” with an exclamation point, emphasizing His strong desire to speak to this small child who loved to minister to the Lord in His presence.

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, has spoken to us, His church, which He is now Head of (Ephesians 1:21-23), saying, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10: 27), and “the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them” (John 10:3).

In this day, our God’s strong call and desire is upon us, the body of Christ, to minister to our Lord, as Samuel did, so we may actually hear our Shepherd’s voice, be filled with our Shepherd’s Spirit, and gain our Shepherd’s wisdom.

Simply and profoundly, God is calling us to Himself.

God called to Samuel by name and God is calling us by name; “he calls his own sheep by name” (John 10:3).

Samuel didn’t get it right the first time, so God called to him a second time.

If we haven’t gotten it right the first time, let us hear God’s voice now, graciously calling us by name, so we may truly respond to, realize, and understand our Lord’s will for us that, in this present age, we would be the people of His presence (the sheep of His pasture) as His kingdom of priests (Revelation 5: 9-10).

In ministering to our Lord, we draw near to God, near enough to hear His voice. Our Lord wants us in His presence, near to Him, ministering to Him, so we may hear His voice and live in the blessing that our Good Shepherd spoke of when He said, “I know My own and My own know Me” (John 10:14).

In ministering to the Lord, we are entering into oneness with our God, in His presence, where we are continuously graced to be “transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18), even as we hear His voice.

Beloved child of God, minister to your Lord today, in His presence, and respond to the blessing of hearing His voice calling you by name, to Himself, that you might know Him more and more, even as He knows you. Yes, say “here I am” (1 Samuel 3:4) to your Lord of love and praise His name even as He is calling your name. Hallelujah!