Call Waiting

• Printable Version - Share on Facebook - Posted by Dion Todd Jun 11 - Filed in Video Devotional - #Christian  #God's voice  #video devotional  - 3,003 views

  Call Waiting from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

  At about 1100 B.C., the prophet Samuel was born. It was a spiritually dark time in Israel. The high priest Eli had grown very old and had put his two sons in charge of the work at the temple. The Bible sums those priests up like this:

  (1 Samuel 2:12 ESV)  Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD.

  Imagine that. The priests who were supposed to be a spiritual light to the people and commune with God on their behalf were worthless men who did not know the Lord. 

  (1 Samuel 2:22–23 ESV)  Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people.

  The Lord didn't speak to the priests Hophni and Phinehas, for He determined to kill them instead (1 Samuel 2:25). Their wicked behavior caused a famine of the word of God in the land, but young Samuel came to live at the temple, and he was not like them.

  (1 Samuel 3:1 NKJV)  Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.

  (1 Samuel 3:2–5 NKJV)  And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, "Here I am!" So he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." And he said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down.

  The Lord was calling to Samuel, but Samuel thought it was the voice of his mentor Eli. So he ran down the hall and woke him up. I have had the Lord speak to me through a mentor's voice before. He doesn't want to give us a heart attack but to bring comfort, and using a voice that you are familiar with helps put you at ease. Young Samuel went and lay back down.

  (1 Samuel 3:6–7 NKJV)  Then the LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." He answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)

  The Lord called to Samuel again, and once again, he jumped up and ran to Eli. The Lord is persistent. Even though Samuel missed his voice the first two times, the Lord kept trying to connect with him until He did. So it is OK to miss His voice. He will try again later. Samuel lay back down again.

  (1 Samuel 3:8–9 NKJV)  And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

  Hearing God speak to you is different than listening to the news. Unlike the TV, God doesn't speak if the hearer isn't listening. So you can hear God best in a quiet setting with no distractions, pressures, or alternate voices. The Lord was speaking to Samuel here while lying in his bed. 

  (1 Samuel 3:10–13 NKJV)  Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears." Then the LORD said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.

  This was the Lord's fourth try to connect with Samuel; this time, it was a success. Samuel learned to discern the voice of the Lord. So can we. Hearing the Lord speak to us has always been a part of His plan. God spoke to all of the great people mentioned in the Bible. He spoke to Adam. He spoke to the murderer Cain. To Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and down the line. God speaks to those that will listen, but not everyone wants to listen. Jesus said this seven times in the book of Revelation:

  (Revelation 3:6 NKJV)  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." '

  Two Greek words are used for "Word of God" in the New Testament: Rhema and Logos. A "rhema" word means a spoken word, an utterance. Logos means the written word, text like in our Bible. 

  For instance, in Matthew 4:4, Jesus said: "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' " The "Word" in this verse is the Greek word "rhema," which means that we live by every word that God speaks to us. 

  Here are some interesting New Testament scriptures that use Rhema:

  (John 8:47 NKJV)  He who is of God hears God’s (Rhema) words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

  (Luke 1:38 NKJV)  Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your (Rhema) word.” And the angel departed from her.

  (John 15:7 NKJV)  If you abide in Me, and My (Rhema) words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

  (Romans 10:17 NKJV)  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the (Rhema) word of God.

  (Ephesians 6:17 NKJV)  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the (Rhema) word of God;

  Remember, Rhema is the spoken word of God. Logos is the written word in our Bible. Now I am not trying to take anything away from our Bible, but I am saying God's spoken word has been undervalued in most churches today. Jesus said:

  (John 10:27 NKJV)  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

  The logos, the written words in our Bible, are God's gift to us, a wonderfully inspired masterpiece, a guidebook that points us to Him, but we are not to worship the creation instead of the Creator. The Bible (Logos) is not God. It tells us about Him. The Pharisees hung tightly to the written scriptures, but they had Jesus crucified… Somehow they missed the point of the relationship.

  If anyone tells you that God does not speak today, they are lying to you, practicing a dead religion, and trying to justify their own experience. You never let your experience determine how you interpret the Bible, especially if you are afraid to step out on the water. I learned a long time ago that just because it hasn't happened at your church does not mean that God will never do it. 

  I attended a church that taught that prophecy was dead, speaking in tongues was of the devil, and the gifts of the Spirit ended with the last Apostle. Then I found a church 15 miles away that moved in all of it, with signs following. People were being healed of cancer, and demons came out screaming during the services. So don't let your faith be limited by your experience so far. Believe in the Bible just as it is written. If it does not tell us that something ended with the last Apostle, then it didn't. God didn't die… He is eternal and unchanging. 

  You can pray this with me if you like: 

  Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day. Please fulfill Your will in my life and give me a clear vision of what You have in store for me. I want what You want. Make what is important to You important to me. Change me from the inside out and teach me to recognize Your voice. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!