None of Samuel’s words fell to the ground

“Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail. All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord” 1 Samuel 3:19-21

Imagine if none of your words failed...everything you said was confirmed to be true or came to pass. Can you imagine the power? Then, again, I suspect very few of the words Samuel uttered were his own.

Which, of course, is why I don’t enjoy his reputation...

It’s much easier to “pop off” and say the first thing that comes to mind. And, we see it all the time; politicians, particularly, shoot their mouths off and find themselves “walking it back” with some embarrassment. We like to be known as “glib”, or “hip.” We seek the approval of man... often more than we seek the approval of God.

The result? “Oh, that’s just Lee talking...”

It’s not particularly bad, or ugly, as far as habits go but...it reveals we have forgotten...we are God’s mouth. We are here to speak God’s truth to a fallen world. It is God’s design to bring sinners to Himself. So, when we spew thoughts that spring to our mind, the words may not really be evil. Just...worthless. 

Unless, or course, our minds are saturated with the holy presence of God’s Spirit...

We know Samuel listened to God. And, he was taught to respond obediently; “speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” I believe we all want to be obedient servants for our Lord. The question remains: Are we willing to subordinate our own wisdom to God’s? I believe the more we listen to God, the more we realize there is only one possible answer to that question. And when we respond correctly, fewer of our words fall worthlessly to the ground. And...more of our (God’s) words cut directly to the heart of our listeners where God can use them to germinate faith. 

It’s been said we fail to use about 90% of our brains. What a waste of potential. I hope we don’t waste 90% of our words. That’s not detrimental to just ourselves. It robs every one of our listeners of the opportunity to experience God.

Live boldly out there today...