17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.” 1 Samuel 3:17-18

In my last post I was reflecting upon some of the insights gained from watching God’s work in the life of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3. As I further meditated on that passage from the Bible I found myself again amazed with God’s grace in providing wisdom through others that assisted Samuel on his own spiritual journey with God. I find, in this story, that Samuel as a young boy is faced with some daunting challenges. Yet he is encouraged to respond with humility and submission to the word spoken to him. Again this encouragement came by way of Eli the priest’s attentive spiritual direction. Through this wise guide, Samuel is reminded to faithfully communicate the word God has revealed, as uncomfortable as that might be. That willingness to speak the uncomfortable word seemed to be characteristic of the prophets.

I remember an occasion where I was in Boston, Massachusetts on a tour sharing songs and stories at various places around the region of New England. I was at this particular venue for a few days and an employee of a familiar music company was there, as well. Over the course of these days we became friends and he accompanied me to several concert dates I had. I remember him coming to me at the end of our time together and expressing his gratefulness and his appreciation for our conversations. Then he shared his opinion regarding my songwriting. I listened because he was a musician himself and worked for a reputable music publishing company. He shared that he enjoyed aspects of my songs but felt as a songwriter I needed to grow and develop more. In that moment he stepped into an area that for me was somewhat personal. I had always considered my songs like children. They were each special in their own way and all deserving of my love. In a sense he was suggesting that some songs, my precious children, were just not that good, or too much the same, or lacking depth. I could feel my defense mechanisms moving into high gear. These very personal expressions of my life were being critiqued in a somewhat unfavorable way. It hurt to hear these things and I immediately wanted to get out of the conversation, change the subject, or more so, fly to another planet. In short I wanted to avoid what was difficult to hear. I am more often now recognizing this desire to escape the difficult conversation as a frequent pattern in my life. This fear of speaking or hearing an unfavorable comment, I believe, tends to limit the work of transformation God may seek to do in me. Yet, what I have discovered looking back on this incident, are the ways God uses those words to further transform, not just my song writing, but also my life.

As the story in Chapter 3 of 1 Samuel concludes, the boy Samuel has heard the word of the Lord and it is a reiteration and reminder of the expected judgment upon Eli for his failure as a father and a priest in Israel. As a young boy, this must have been difficult to process for Samuel, and even more difficult to know what to do. The Scripture mentions that Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision from the Lord. In this very uncomfortable situation, Samuel receives guidance again from Eli, as to how to respond. This guidance would prove crucial to Samuel’s calling and effectiveness as the Lord’s prophet to Israel at this time. Eli encouraged Samuel to be truthful and to be faithful to speak the authentic word from the Lord, no matter how difficult. Eli’s command to Samuel to speak the truth amazes me for it seems he knew that Samuel’s word would be difficult to hear. In that regard it prompts me to inquire of myself, do I invite others to speak God’s truth to me even when I know it will potentially not be what I want to hear? I also imagine that for Samuel it was difficult to be the voice of the Lord confronting his mentor. In general, this was not an easy situation. But Eli was wise enough to know that God’s word was still the best word, even when it meant judgment for him and his family. And he was wise enough to know that Samuel needed the encouragement at this early stage to be true to the word God had given him to speak. Eli as a wise guide prompted Samuel to be authentic and speak the truth from the Lord. This would shape the rest of Samuel’s ministry. Eli had helped Samuel to listen for the voice of the Lord and then to faithfully communicate what the Lord was saying. It is crucial to our lives that we determine the appropriate voice to listen for and the appropriate message to speak, as a result. It is the challenge of walking with the Lord to discern His voice and to speak what He is seeking to communicate through our words and our lives. It behooves us to pay attention to those more experienced in discerning that voice and responding faithfully to that voice. It takes courage to be vulnerable enough to receive the Lord’s word, to share faithfully the Lord’s word and to be transformed by the Lord’s word in love. It was said of Samuel that the Lord, as Samuel grew and developed, let none of his words fall to the ground. My sense is that Samuel’s words were like arrows that God caused to hit their mark, rather than fall to the ground. Eli had provided for Samuel, at an early stage of life, a much-needed word of guidance and direction. Simply stated, to not “hide” the message God has spoken, but let His Word fly straight, like an arrow, to hit His intended mark. Though His word may be uncomfortable for me to hear, it is a powerful word of transformation and is always reflective of His perfect love. It is my hope for my life, and for those with whom I have a measure of influence, that authenticity and faithfulness to the loving word God speaks would transform all our lives more into the likeness and image of His Son, Jesus. Here is a song that reminds us to pay attention for God’s voice. I hope it encourages your heart!