“Here I Am”
By Brigitta Tedja
Watch Ps Jonathan’s preaching here
The Lord Calls Samuel
The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 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.”
Pastor Jonathan Sebadja taught from 1 Samuel 3: 1-10. Verse 1 stated that, in Samuel’s day, God’s word was rare with few visions, but the presence of God has not yet gone out—there was still time. Life may cause you to be off-track, go out of order, or you feel like you are wasting years chasing your own way, but if you are still breathing, there is still time.
Samuel heard a voice that sounded like Eli, the high priest, so he kept returning to Eli when he heard his name being called. At that time, Samuel did not know the Lord yet and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. After the third time, it dawned on Eli that God was calling Samuel and instructed Samuel on what to do.
These days, many people are looking for what their calling is. This term is quite popular and it is likened to a career. We are led to believe that if what we are doing is not noble enough, then it is not our true calling. Finding our calling becomes like looking for a needle in the haystack. The problem is we may not know what the needle looks like. For most of us, we just want to go to work or do well with our midterms. “Finding your calling” becomes a social pressure and there is a misconception to finding our calling which causes us to be discontent with our current life.
If we read more about Eli’s family, we note that his sons gravely dishonored God and that was why God’s Word was scarce. In today’s society, God is common and we do not fear or honor him. We currently live in a society with too much information, but not much truth, and this verse applies to us today. Today, we are daily drowning with information, opinion, agenda, and projection, but we are starving for truth. In these crazy times, we do not know who or what to trust. We do not know what is right, what is real, what is fake, what is inflated, what is exaggerated, or what is hidden. In statistics, one can play with the perimeters to produce the numbers to fulfill an agenda. The truth is hard to find these days.
The Word of God is extremely accessible today, but it is not the availability of the Word of God, it is our attitude towards the Word that is important. The Word has no impact because we do not value or honor it. Honoring God is negotiable now and if we are not careful, we too will be like Eli, and create a culture of neglect.
Pastor Jonathan stated that finding our calling is a social pressure and a cultural concept and, in his opinion, it is not biblical. He asserted that we do not have to find our calling. Samuel was not looking for his calling, he just served the purpose in the season and his calling found him. Be in the place where we are supposed to be and our calling will find us. Calling is not something we have to look for, it is not a treasure to be found. The call is something we need to respond to. We need to find the caller to know the calling. The bottom line is: “Finding your calling” is really just a self-help, individualistic, ambition-oriented delusion dressed up as Christian cliché. When you say “It’s not my calling,” it really means, “I just don’t want to do it.”
Often times, instead of worshiping God, we worship the idea of God’s will, rather than be in a relationship with God. This then causes God to become a resource, like Siri instead of Savior. Unless we treasure, value, listen to, make time, and concentrate ourselves in seeking God instead of scheming the voice of God, we will not get this.
If we read the passage above, we see that Samuel was transitioning to his purpose through Eli, who was on his way out. God still used Eli even though his days were numbered. God may speak to us in a different voice. God’s voice may sound like your wife, your children, your parents, your friends, or even your CARE Cell leader. The more we have the Word of God in us, the more we can hear Him.
Samuel heard God’s voice but ran to the wrong place multiple times. Moses received a call of God but killed an Egyptian. Moses accepted the calling but executed it wrongly. Be careful to not dismiss the calling, even though it may be incorrectly executed. Moses almost crossed out but his calling remained the same. There is a grace in our calling. Jonah was a bad preacher and had a wrong attitude but God gave him a chance again and again. If we do not get it the first time, God will grant us a second chance. He will give us multiple chances even if we mis-step, as long as we say “Here I am,” first. Samuel’s every word came to pass even though he did not get it right the first time. A calling needs to have a response, it is not something we look for. The right response is, “Here I am.” Even if we executed it incorrectly, God will give us a chance to make the correction. We are not dead so we still have a chance. God will give grace if we do not ignore Him.
After the third time, Samuel was instructed by Eli to go back and lay down but when he heard his name being called out again, he was to respond by saying, “Here I am.” God does not play hide and seek with us, but He will keep moving. We do not need to rely on instructions but on God alone. We need to respond “Here I am”, no matter what happens, because religion without a relationship with God is not enough. Knowing God is to know who He is, to know His voice so that we can clearly hear Him. A calling may be difficult, but because of His grace, love, and purpose, we will be given the strength and ability to fulfill the calling. Samuel heard God at his resting place, where he was laying down. He was not actively doing anything, but he was in the place where he should be. When the instructions and calling comes, be like Samuel and know what to do.
We could each have multiple callings without conflict. We seek the caller, not the calling. God will give us grace. It is a matter of responding, “Here I am.” Callings may have seasons and transitions. His instructions to Samuel were difficult because Samuel was to take Eli’s place. There is a time and season for the calling. In 1 Samuel 4:1, we read “Samuel’s word came to all of Israel” because when Samuel spoke, it was God’s word. Time and calling may change, be faithful in what we are doing now so that when God speaks, we are in the right place to listen.
In conclusion, do not be in a place of running around or thinking or worrying about what the next thing is, but embrace what God has us in, being fully engaged in the present time. This is one way to awaken the design in us. Stop looking for a higher or the lofty calling, it is about what God wants us to be at this season. God is always speaking but are we listening? He speaks through hard times, pleasure or passion, rejection, restlessness, etc. He may speak through others or circumstances but where are we running to? Samuel ran to a person who would ultimately be taken away. It is freeing to not have to “find your calling”. Finding the will of God is not just a job. God is not just a resource, so build a relationship with Him because, looking for God’s will is good, but looking for God is better. Be always available to the calling wherever we are at the moment. God speaks but do not limit how He speaks. The question is, how is our response? We can experience breakthrough only through the response of “Here I am, your servant is listening.”
Prayer Points:
Pray to know the Caller (God)
Build relationship with God
Look for God, not just His will
Pray to know His voice
God speaks through others
God speaks through His Word
Pray to respond to God’s call
“Here I am, your servant is listening”
Be in the place where you are supposed to be
Have the right attitude
Pray to serve God
Be what God wants you to be at this moment
Serve the purpose in this season
Fulfill what you are to do now
Be faithful in what you do
Pray to not give up when you execute His will incorrectly
There is grace
Keep pursuing and build persistence
Pray for health and protection
Pray for CBC during this time of transition (shared during the LCE on February 12th)
Pray for Pastor Paul as he, Eric Ching, and Pastor Ché Ahn attend the Kingdom Government Consultation in Corinth, Texas on Thursday, March 24th to Saturday, March 26th. This is part of Pastor Paul’s role as V.P. in Revive California. The Kingdom Government Consultation will cover Regional, State, and National matters in our country.
Pray for the momentum of war to cease in Ukraine
Let’s respond “Here I am” when God calls us!