August 24


So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord. 1 Samuel 3:19-20


Samuel was called by God, and he followed the call. Imagine a room with a sign over it saying ‘For great men of God only; for prophets of the Lord’. At first we perceive the sign as a barrier, excluding us from entrance. But Samuel, like Elijah, was a man with a nature like ours – James 5:17. God’s call is to all His people – 2 Timothy 1:9. We do not have to be great men of God to enter into this calling. No, it is as we enter it that we become partakers of that high calling to be intimate friends of God. The believer who enters into this holy place will find that they have stepped out of time, out of the ordinary, into the extraordinary Presence of God. We think too meanly of ourselves, believing that we are destined to be dull and unremarkable. But God has a place for us, that lifts our minds and hearts to think pure and noble thoughts. Samuel was established as a prophet because he walked with God. We may not be called to be prophets in the same way that Samuel was, but we are called to partake of a calling that sets us apart for God, and by it we partake of the calling to be God’s true sons. We are all made noble by the call of God in our lives, and it is a high and holy calling.