Call: Responding to the Still Small Voice

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Call:

Responding to the Still Small Voice

The Bible is full of call stories. They range from the burning bush of Moses to the knock you on your butt confrontation of Jesus and Paul on the Damascene Road. Often, they are of the still small voice type experienced by Samuel.

"Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down. The LORD called again, ‘Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again.’ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” ’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ "





Samuel heard God call him three times, but he was just a young boy serving God’s priest Eli. He did not realize who it was that had called him. Indeed, he may have never realized who was calling him if it had not been for Eli. Samuel knew someone was calling him but it took someone like Eli to help him discern who placed the call.

Eli was the elder statesman of God. He had served him as priest for many years. Those years of experience had given him a perspective which young Samuel lacked. This perspective allowed him to guide Samuel in his response.


As Agents of Christ, called to live out the vision of the Kingdom, we must keep in mind that there are so many people who hear the call of God but have not yet responded. This is not because they choose to ignore it or flatly reject it – it is because they simply do not recognize or understand who has made the call. They are plagued by a sort of discomfort, a dissatisfaction with their life, their work and their world. They know something needs to be different but they do not know what. They have tried everything and searched down many roads following the who’s or what’s they thought had called them only to find another dead end.

Those of us who have already responded to this call are in a unique position to aid these “Samuels” in their quest. Like Eli, we can offer them a perspective, allowing them to understand who is calling and what to do next. Eli Understood it was God who was calling in the night. Perhaps he had heard it before himself. The scripture tells us that Samuel did not yet know the Lord. Eli reassured the boy telling him how to respond the next time he called. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” That was Eli’s guidance. It was Samuel’s response. Samuel went on to become the last of Israel’s Judges and the most respected prophet of his time. Anointing two kings by the Lord’s authority, his career overshadowed Eli’s life and ended his career but what would have happened if Eli had not guided Samuel.


God Smacked

Sometimes, as agents of Christ, our duty to the called does not mean helping them discern who called them. Sometimes, it means helping them discern what to do next.


The English have this great phrase, “gob smacked”. It means you have been flabbergasted beyond reason. To be gob smacked means finding yourself in a moment of awe and disbelief causing you to clap your hand across your mouth or “gob”.

On the road to Damascus Paul was gob smacked. Actually, I suppose it would be more to the point to say that he was “God smacked”. By the way, I do not mean the band.

Paul had definitely discerned a call in his life and even understood it to be the Kingdom of God. He was, however, confused about the vision. The kingdom vision he held was not that of God and as we read in Proverbs 29 it lead to chaos.

Paul’s vision of the Kingdom lead him to hatred, anger and violence – the opposite of the Kingdom vision of Christ. On Paul’s journey to Damascus God smacked him and clarified the vision for him. Jesus not so gently explained to Paul the error of his way.

At this point, it was not perspective Paul required. He had already received gobs of perspective. His experience of the risen and glorified Christ left him with no doubt about his call. What Paul needed was the support of the community as he lived out the call.


You see, when Paul responded to God’s call he turned his back on the community that had supported him along with its vision of the kingdom. Blinded by the light of Christ, he lay blinded to the world he had known. Paul could not go forward but he could not go back. It was at this moment that Christ sent him Ananias, a member of the same community he had intended to persecute. Ananias prayed for him to regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul was then surrounded by this community. They baptized him, nursed him to health and most importantly, shared with him the vision called the Kingdom of God. On the road to Damascus, Paul’s vision was replaced by Christ’s. When he finally made it to the synagogue the people were expecting him to read a letter of indictment. Instead he proclaimed Jesus and the Kingdom of God. The response to Paul’s call was violent. At this point the support of his new community was a matter of life or death. To save his life, members of the community lowered him down the city walls to safety. This support allowed Paul to continue his work.


A Time Such as This

I think Paul’s call emboldened him to the point of courage. Often though, we need the community to hold us accountable to our call in the face of fear. The threat of violence or death can cause us to resist our call. Fear of persecution and punishment may cause us to cede key territory in the Kingdom in exchange for personal comfort and peace.

This is when the community comes around in a spirit of accountability, reminding a sister or brother that they have a duty to their call. This is the story of Esther and her uncle, Mordecai.

Esther had been blessed to become the king’s wife. This was unusual because she, like her uncle, was a part of the Jewish community, spread across the king’s empire in exile. Against all odds she had been chosen as the king’s new wife. It was a position of comfort and stability. All she had to do was sit back, relax and not rock the boat.


One day however, her uncle Mordecai caught wind of a malicious plot to do away with every Jewish person in the king’s realm. The king had been talked into it by Haman, a close advisor. In his ignorance the king had actually consigned his own wife to death. Hearing about the plot Mordecai knew his niece was in a unique position to do something about it.

Esther was understandably hesitant. The last queen had been sacked for contradicting the king and here her uncle was asking her not only to contradict the king but challenge his edicts! Never mind the fact that the king had standing orders to execute anyone who entered his presence unbidden. Esther had reason to be apprehensive. No one would blame her if she kept silent. I mean after all, the king did not even know she was Jewish!


Fear may be the biggest hurdle any agent ever faces. It can stop someone from pursuing their call more easily than anything else. Fear causes us to create all sorts of arguments. Moses was afraid people would laugh at the way he spoke. Jeremiah feared his youth would be thrown in his face. Peter cowered in the bottom of his boat fearing the guilt of past sin.

It is at these times when we, as agents of Christ, need to be held accountable to the duty of our call. Someone must come alongside us, reminding us of the duty we have to this vision called the Kingdom of God. Mordecai’s not so gentle rebuke of Esther’s fear called her on the carpet. To consider her own comfort and security at “such a time as this” was to ignore the unique duty of her call.

Esther heard her uncle and answered the call. In return she asked that the community support her in prayer as she worked out her call. As agents of Christ we have a responsibility to support one another in our call. Sometimes this means helping someone understand who has called them. Sometimes this means helping someone understand what the call requires. Sometimes this means holding each other accountable to the duty of that call. Always, it means being there to seek and support those who answer the call of God in their lives.