One day in Sunday school Frank heard the story of how God called Samuel by name and then talked to him. Frank asked his teacher, “Mr. Cook, does God ever talk to people today?”
“Yes, Frank,” replied Mr. Cook. “God still talks to people today but not usually out loud like He talked to Samuel. He talks to us in different ways and often through what we read in the Bible.”
“I wish God would talk to me,” Frank said thoughtfully.
Mr. Cook answered, “Frank, I’m sure He will talk to you if you will listen. Try to listen to Him this week and see what will happen.”
Frank decided that he would try really hard to listen to what God said to him. That night when Frank read his Bible before he went to bed, he read the story of Jesus speaking to His disciples and telling them, “Be not afraid.” As he read it, Frank realized, God is talking to me through this Bible story. He is telling me not to be afraid.
The next day Frank and some school friends were walking home from school when they saw a boy across the street who was new in the neighborhood. One of the boys said, “That new kid thinks he’s smart, and besides that, he’s stuck-up. Let’s go over and show him that he isn’t so smart ... let’s beat him up!”
A Bible verse came into Frank’s mind that he had learned in Sunday school: “Be ye kind one to another” (Ephesians 4:3232And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)). A voice inside him seemed to say, Frank, it wouldn’t be kind to beat up that new boy; it would be wrong. Then Frank instantly thought, I think God is talking to me now, even though it’s not out loud. He is telling me what to do.
Do you think Frank obeyed what God was telling him? I think so.
Another day, Frank’s mother asked him to go to the store for her. Frank wanted to make the trip go faster, so he went to Tom’s house next door to borrow his bike. Tom, his friend, wasn’t home, but his bike was out in the yard, so Frank hopped on and pedaled off to the store. He left the bike outside and went in to buy the groceries for his mother. When he came back out, he discovered to his horror that the bike was gone! Somebody had stolen it!
With a heavy heart, he walked home. When he told his mother what had happened, she said, “Frank, you must go over and tell Tom what happened. You’ll need to offer to pay him for his bike if it isn’t found.” Suddenly Frank thought, “God is talking to me through my mother. She is telling me what God wants me to do.”
Do you think Frank did what his mother told him to do, realizing God was talking to him through his mother? I think so.
Frank was only in grade school, but he learned this valuable lesson—God does talk to us. It is our job to listen to Him and obey Him. The Bible says it this way: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:66In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:6)). “The Lord is my helper” (Hebrews 13:66So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:6)).
Have you listened to God talking to you today?
ML-03/18/2012