WATCHWORD:
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So, Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 1 Samuel 3:7-11
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
Meditation:
Inspiration
This meditation is about those times when God speaks to you, and to me, during those special times when we meet with God, when we read His Word, or devotionals inspired by Him, and we meditate and pray, then pause and in our silence, God speaks.
We might say it’s just a small voice within, or we chalk it up to our conscience or perhaps it’s a recollection of a comment by a loved one. Maybe it comes floating in your memory from something read a while back, or perhaps a bit a wisdom shared by a friend, now taken on new meaning because you are in a different place.
Oh, yes, the voices are always there. Some are spoken, while others are nudges from God that moves us where we never thought we would go. Perhaps, like me, you call it inspiration or creativity. It makes no difference, in my mind those thoughts or voices that are outside our being, is the voice of our Spirit, our Lord speaking to us.
A couple of years ago my daughter sent me a video of Elizabeth Gilbert (Author of Eat, Pray, Love) speaking to a graduate class in creative writing. She explained that she believes all the works of art, or music, or writing, those great works that have been given accolades, and all those that are totally unknown that may reside on yellowing paper tucked into a notebook somewhere; all had their Genesis outside of our being; God communicating.
Gilbert goes on to say that God’s inspiration alone does not lead to works of art, music, writing or quality of life, it’s how that inspiration ‘mixes’ with how we live our lives, how we reach out to others and how we respond to others when they reach out to us, that produces the fruit of our lives. There is God’s inspiration in the very ‘who’ that you are.
Regardless of what you read in your daily devotionals, those words may touch you and shed God’s light in your lives. The better question may be ‘what do we do with God’s thoughts, words, and the inspiration that shines through?’ That definitely is part of the “mix” that results in the fruit that is produced.
Somewhere along my faith journey I thought about the difference between God’s Creation and what God has made. i concluded that God’s Creation came about through the Almighty speaking creation into existence, i.e. “Let there be light!”. What God Makes is through a Spiritual Partnership with His humans, using our hands, our voices, our imaginations, our talents; all of which are gifts He has already given us. Our role is to take His “Spirit” and let it reflect to others as we live these lives that God has given us. Amen.
Closing Prayers:
Touch me, O Lord, and fill me with Your light and Your hope. I ask that You give me strength when I am weak, love when I feel forsaken, courage when I am afraid, wisdom when I feel foolish, comfort when I am alone, hope when I feel rejected, and peace when I am in turmoil. I pray You would move Your Spirit more boldly in my life, for I know that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
— Stan
