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"This week, I have asked my son, Bryant Forshee, to write our daily devotions. Bryant is the Minister to Junior High Students at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX."
- Pastor Danny
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"Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, 'Here I am!'"
(1 Samuel 3:4)
At school, having the last name "Forshee" was always advantageous when roll was being called. I was not at the top of the list, and I was not at the bottom of the list. I was near the beginning and had to pay attention for a little bit, call out "here", and then I could zone out for the remainder of the names.
I never wanted to be THAT person who would miss their name and the teacher would have to call their name a couple of times. I always wanted to be attentive and available. I believe that in our relationship with Jesus, especially in the 21st century, especially in the midst of COVID-19 and different phases of transitioning into the "new normal", we are prone to be like the student that does not hear their name being called out!
We might be distracted by what the latest news is on COVID-19. We might be distracted by the new Netflix series that we have started. We might be distracted by waiting for the next episodes of "The Last Dance" to come on ESPN.
In a world of distractions and busyness, we need to learn a lesson from the young prophet Samuel: "Here I am."
In 1 Samuel 3, we see a comical conversation between the Lord and Samuel. God calls Samuel three times, and all three times, Samuel thinks it is someone else (Eli) who is calling out to him; Samuel goes to Eli's side every time. The third and final time, Eli tells Samuel how to properly respond to God.
I want us to focus on the first time that God called out to Samuel. Samuel responds to God with, "Here I am." I believe we as followers of Christ need to practice the art of "Here I am" before God.
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I know in my time alone with the Lord, I often come to God with my agendas, my thoughts, my concerns, and my anxieties, and begin bombarding God with my thoughts and prayers. However, I want to get in the practice that when I am about to spend time with God, I open up my heart and my ears and say, "Here I am." I believe this puts us in a posture to hear from God's Word and to hear from the Holy Spirit, who lives inside all of us believers.
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When was the last time that you were personally still before God?
If you're anything like me, in the midst of COVID-19, too much of our time has been spent talking a lot and not listening enough. May it not be so any more, may we as believers and followers of Christ, in our alone time with God, be still and ready to listen to God. May we be able to say with open hearts and ears, "Here I am."
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Podcast of the Week
10 Principles for Effective Living: Hope
Pastor Danny focuses this episode on the principle of Hope, discussing the importance, or rather, necessity, of having hope for the future, especially, as believers, the unmatched hope that comes from our salvation and the Holy Spirit within us.
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