When God Speaks, Who Listens?

When God Speaks, Who Listens?

1 Samuel 3:1-10

Professional athletes, as a group, are not noted for their oratory skills – off the

playing field, that is. From what I understand, several of them are highly

efficient when it comes to getting under the skin of their opponents by the use

of verbal punches. I think it’s called "trash-talking" – or at least, it used to be

called that. But the ability to stand in front of a group of people and talk about

something other than the sport they play is uncommon.

Maybe that’s the reason why one interview, conducted with a professional

football player, stands out in my mind now, even though it’s been several

years since the interview was conducted. (Of course, the fact that the athlete

is a former All-American football player at the University of Tennessee could

have something to do with it, too.)

The interviewee was Reggie White, who at that time had just completed the

terms of his contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he had made the

All-star team almost every year since he became a professional. After his

contract with Philadelphia had been fulfilled, White, who is also an ordained

minister – hence his nickname, "The Minister of Defense" – had been free to

sign with any team he wished. And he had several offers that would have

made him a very rich man. But when decision time came, White shocked

most football observers and many of his friends by signing with the team

which was located in the smallest city of all the National Football League

franchises – the Green Bay Packers. The reporter who was conducting the

interview asked White how he had reached his decision to play for the

Packers. I will not soon forget what White said next.

"I spent a lot of time praying about this," White said. "And one day as I

prayed, I heard God say, ‘Reggie, go to Green Bay.’ So that’s what I did."

I suppose White either saw something in the way the interviewer looked at

him at that point, or maybe the reporter chuckled at this response. For

whatever reason, what White said next was this: "You know, when you tell

people you’ve been talking to God, they don’t have a problem with that.

That’s praying. If you believe in that sort of thing, it’s okay. But when you

say that God talked to YOU, then they think you’re crazy or something! Isn’t

prayer supposed to be a conversation with God? And in a conversation, don’t

BOTH parties talk?"

Many people do have problems with that today. And, to be fair about it, I

have to admit that there is some justification for concern or skepticism. Far

too many folks make false claims about hearing the voice of God. "God

spoke to me through my dog and told me to go kill every woman with a

certain color hair that I could." "God told me to take my AK47 assault rifle,

load it, and go down to McDonald’s and open fire." Or what I find almost

equally appalling, "God told me to tell you that He wants YOU to send ME a

$100 pledge of faith donation. And in return, I will send you one of these

beautiful, hand-sewn, anointed prayer rags." All kinds of people are making

all kinds of claims about hearing the voice of God these days.

Let’s take a look at what happened to a child in the Bible as God spoke to

him.

Read 1 Samuel passages 3:1-10

Many of us may have a problem in believing that God still talks to ANYONE

in our day.

"The word of the Lord was rare in those days," says the writer of 1

Samuel, "and there were no frequent visions."

It could be that this is a dryspell for you in hearing from the Lord! Or it could

be a dryspell for this church!

Perhaps we hear those words today and our misery takes some comfort in

knowing that it has company, that there have been other times in history when

the word of the Lord was rare.

Oh, we’re willing to concede that maybe there are a few people around today

– a VERY few – to whom God might speak – Billy Graham, for instance; or

Pope John Paul, and maybe the pastor of this church hears from God every

now and then. But God wouldn’t speak to just anybody, not any more – if

God ever really DID speak to anyone.

"The word of the Lord was rare in those days, and visions were not

widespread." Yes, that pretty well describes OUR day, wouldn’t you say? Or

does it?

A recent survey conducted among members of the Catholic Church found that

the majority of those who were interviewed reported having mystical,