Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 2-183 (Devotional)

LISTENING TO THE LORD

by Peter Kennedy

“The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.'” – 1 Samuel 3:10

In 1839, after years of service in South Africa, the famous missionary Robert Moffat returned to Scotland to recruit helpers. When he arrived at the church one cold wintry night, he was dismayed that only a small group had come out to hear him. What bothered him even more was that the only people in attendance were ladies. Although he was grateful for their interest, he had hoped to challenge men. He had chosen as his text Proverbs 8:4, “Unto you, O men I call.” Moffat had one stirring challenge in his message: “I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages, where no missionary has ever been.” Moffat felt frustrated as he gave the message, for he realized that very few women could be expected to undergo the rigorous life in undeveloped jungles. In his discouragement Moffat almost failed to notice one young man assisting the organist. That young man was deeply moved by the challenge and heard the call of God. The following year, David Livingstone, that young man who had heard Robert Moffat’s challenge and God’s call, sailed to Africa. For the next thirty- three years, he ministered in the interior of Africa to villages where no missionary had ever been before.

God is continually calling us, often times we are not ready to listen. What is it the Lord is calling you to do? Today in prayer, look to the Lord and seek His voice. Read the Bible and desire to follow the Lord’s leading.

“The responsible person seeks to make his or her whole life a response to the question and call of God.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God’s Word: “To you, O men, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind.” – Proverbs 8:4

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By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2002, Devotional E-Mail

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