January 14: Hello, God

Just before our first reading it says that “the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.” (1Sam 3:1) I imagine most people today would think that was true. Haven’t you ever wished you lived in biblical times, to see some of the miracles you read about? Wouldn’t it be cool to hear the Lord speaking in a vision? Do you think God has stopped talking? People apparently felt that way in Samuel’s time. Let’s look at the reading to see what Samuel’s experience can teach us.

At first Samuel thinks it is Eli calling him. It is not unusual for people to miss a sign from God. If you have a talent that you are proud of, perhaps it is a sign that God wants you to use that talent to help others. Or if a friend tells you she is concerned about your health, it could be God’s way of telling you to get help. Try to see God speaking in whatever happens to you and you may hear a lot more than you think.

Samuel also gets help from Eli. Eli began to recognize that the Lord was speaking to Samuel. Sometimes we need help discerning what the Lord is telling us. A good spiritual director can lead you to understand what God is saying to you. Your pastor may be able to do that, or at least able to refer you to someone.

Warning: A spiritual director will probably ask how often you pray. In our reading Samuel finally speaks directly to God, instead of going back to Eli. Then God tells him what God’s plan was. So if you wonder what God plans for your life, try spending more time in prayer with him. Don’t be like the man who complains he never know what his wife wants from him. When asked what she tells him, he says, “I don’t know; we never talk.” I bet we have all had times where we didn’t know if we are doing God’s will because we didn’t take time to pray. But don’t do all the talking. Give God some quiet time to hear his response. For God hasn’t stopped talking; we just stopped listening.

Tom Schmidt