By Andrea Goebel, God’s Way
I was unloading my cart at the grocery store when my infant son woke up. He began crying softly as I packed up my bags and we left the store. Maybe he’ll fall back asleep on the drive home, I thought.
However, his cries grew louder as we drove away. I considered stopping to check for the cause of his sudden fussiness, but I wanted to get home, so I kept driving.
When his cries did not abate, I finally parked at a nearby church. I changed his diaper, but he still seemed discontented, and I wondered whether I should feed him. Since we were closer to home now, I dismissed the idea, and we continued on our way.
A couple minutes later, he began crying again. Ahead, I saw railroad crossing guards coming down for an approaching train. Laughing, I reversed the car, drove back to a dead-end road I had contemplated stopping at earlier, and got my son out of his car seat once again. This time, I fed him until he was full.
As we sat there, I reflected on how my desire to get home quickly had surpassed my willingness to stop and check on my son’s needs. I didn’t have any time constraints holding me back. I was just in too big of a hurry.
Sometimes, I struggle to meet my children’s needs immediately – emergencies aside – because I’m worried about everything I think I need to do. I know my children’s needs come first, yet sometimes, I put them last in favor of my own priorities. And I wonder how often I do this when God calls to me.
Often, God interrupts our plans to remind us He knows what we need, and He knows best. He may tell us to stop what we’re doing and switch to something completely different, and that shift can be challenging. We can easily convince ourselves that our plans take precedence and we can do what God asks us to when we have time later.
The funny thing is – we’re not on our time. We’re on God’s time. And if we spend our lives ignoring Him, we won’t ever fulfill all of the wonderful plans He has for us.
The Old Testament gives us a good example of a young prophet who does listen when God calls to Him.
Samuel was just a boy when God spoke to Him, and he did not yet recognize God’s voice. One night while Samuel slept, he woke three times to a voice calling to him. Samuel mistakenly thought it was his mentor Eli, and each time he heard the voice, he got up and ran to Eli, saying, “Here I am. You called me” (1 Samuel 3:5). However, Eli was not calling to Samuel.
After Samuel arose the third time, “Eli understood that the Lord was calling the youth. So he said to Samuel, ‘Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’’ When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the Lord came and stood there, calling out as before: Samuel, Samuel! Samuel answered, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening’” (1 Samuel 3:8-10).
Samuel showed up when God called him. He didn’t question God; He just did what God asked him to do.
That’s what God asks of us, too: to listen for His call. To show up with a willing heart. And to do what He asks. Imagine how much good God could work in our lives if we all just slowed down to let Him in.