Speak, O Lord
Communication from God is the only way sinners can possibly find out what God thinks about them and how they can have any hope of being rescued from the ultimate tragedy of being stomped down by his anger in hell. That's why we join Samuel in pleading: "Speak, O Lord!" July 25, 2010.
Nine years ago, terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jets and slammed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Nearly three thousand people were killed. Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005, wiped out eighty percent of the city of New Orleans. One thousand eight hundred thirty-six people lost their lives, and damages were estimated to be one hundred twenty-five billion dollars. Every disaster leaves a trail of sadness and woe. In many cases, we not only have the horrific images burned into our memories, but we can recall where we were and what we were doing.
In no way, shape, or form would we ever want to downplay the significance of any tragedy. But I submit that there is a tragedy that is more horrible than all the rest. It is rather subtle, but eventually it can gnaw away at the core of a person’s being and personality and squash a person’s confidence, ability to relate to others, and hope for the future. Here it is – no communication between parents and children. Can you imagine what a hole it must leave in a child’s heart if daddy or mommy refuses to speak, turns the back, and remains silent?
That’s what makes the opening words of the first lesson from First Samuel chapter three so heart-stopping-ly tragic, so breath-taking-ly sad. “In those days the word of the Lord was rare”. The heavenly Father said to the children of Israel, his children, “You don’t want to listen to me? OK! Then I’m not going to talk to you.” Ouch! Communication from God is the only way sinners can possibly find out what God thinks about them and how they can have any hope of being rescued from the ultimate tragedy of being stomped down by his anger in hell. That’s why we join Samuel in pleading:“Speak, O Lord!”
Open Your Lips
Those who have a little graying in the temples can recall that years ago the only way to stay in touch with parents when you went to college was by pasting an eight-cent first-class stamp on a letter or by sliding more than a few coins into a pay phone. Who could afford that? Now we’ve got communication toys literally coming out of our ears. Been to an airport lately? Every other person has a cell phone pressed against his or her ear. You can connect with people on Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter. You can share pictures or personal videos on Flickr, UTube, or Vimeo. You can chat live on Skype, iChat, or Livestream. Then there’s email, texting, iPhones, and Blackberries. But even without technological advancements, communication has always been the key to relationships.
That’s why the devil’s first trick in trying to break up the relationship people had with God when the world was still brand spanking new was to add super-heavy static on the communication lines between God and people. “Don’t listen to God,” he told Eve, “How do you know what he says is good for you? How do you know what he says is true?” Ever since Adam and Eve swallowed the bait, people have been born with a default communication setting, “I’m going to listen to myself.” Look at little kids. Parents want to teach something, but kids say, “No!” Mom or Dad says, “Time for your nap,” and suddenly kids grow cotton in their ears. We are programmed not to listen … unless we’re in trouble … like the college freshman who thinks, “I’m on my own now. No parents to tell me to pick up my clothes or to come in on time or whom to hang out with. I don’t have to listen to anyone!” – until late one night when the car breaks down. Then the phone rings, “Dad! What do I do?” As the human race slowly spiraled away from God and refused to listen to him, people mimicked that college kid, “Ha! We’re on our own!” – until troubles came their way. Then, “We’d sure like to know what the gods have to say about this?” betraying two problems – an unclear idea about God, that there are many instead of one, and not listening to what God says. They didn’t deserve to have God speak to them. What a tragedy!
But God decided to change the lack of communication with ancient Israel and speak to them through Samuel. Who was Samuel? Not the high priest. Not a king. Prophets like Moses were long dead. He was a kid! But the point is not how high and mighty or down and low Samuel was. The point is that God spoke, and that when he did, he spoke to and through a sinner like Samuel, someone weak and undeserving.
What makes us think that we are so deserving, so entitled that God owes it to us to speak to us? If a kind deed has one ounce of self-serving-ness, we’re not what God wants us to be. If kind words have one iota of, “I hope I get something out of this,” we’re not what God wants us to be. If a well-meaning gift has one atom of, “I better get a Thank-you note,” we’re not what God wants us to be. We don’t deserve to have God speak to us. We deserve his turned back, his cold shoulder, and his silence.
But God has decided to speak to us. That’s heart-stopping-ly and breath-taking-ly amazing. Jesus made that happen. He is the Word and gives us God’s words. He said, “Here’s what my Father thinks of you. You’re in the family because I paid your way in. You are no longer cast-aways but dearly loved children. God speaks to you, not because of who you are and what you do, but because of who I am and what I do for you.”
Samuel thought that Eli, his mentor and boss, was calling him that night. Eli may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer as a spiritual leader, but at least he recognized when the Lord was talking. I’ve seen it, and you have, too. People are still searching, especially when troubles come, under every rock and behind every cloud, wondering, worrying, waiting – “How will God speak to me?” or expecting God to speak on their terms, when and where they want. “Maybe God will speak to me through my dreams?” No! That is not how God speaks to us. It is one thing to be amazed at the fact that God speaks to us at all. It is another to be amazed at how he speaks. He does that through the words of the Bible. How do we know? Give me a call or email. Come to our back-to-the-basics class. I’ll explain. There are many internal and external proofs that this book is different from any other, that it is God’s own miraculous message to us. That’s why we make such a big deal out of the Bible. That’s why when people ask, “What does your church teach about such and such?” the response is always, “Let’s see what God has to say about it in Scripture.” That’s why we strive to keep our worship centered not on hot topics of day but on what God says. Because God speaks through Scripture whether heard, read, remembered, the Holy Bible is the answer to our prayer, “Speak, O Lord. Open your lips!” We don’t deserve it, but he does – through the Holy Scriptures.
Open Our Ears
Someone may say, “OK! The Lord speaks to me. But will he tell me whether I should keep dating the person I met last month at one of the pubs on Water Street or whether I should pursue a new job or whether I should keep the mortgage rate if have or go after a lower one? Maybe if I just find the right passage in Scripture like a hidden code and have someone explain it to me, I’ll be able to know why he allowed my aunt to get sick or why my teenager doesn’t want to go to the college we picked out. Maybe he’ll give me a sign so I know what to do with the rest of my life.”
We want God to tell us his plans, but that’s not what Samuel was interested in. Eli told him, “Open your ears and listen,” and that’s what Samuel did. “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Notice that he did not seek information that fit his agenda or met his requirements. He just listened. And what did God tell him? He told Samuel the same thing over and over and over. “I am God. You are not. My saving love is all that counts. It is my plan to rescue sinners who are hell-bound so that they have a close relationship with me as I intended it in the first place. It is my plan to counter Satan’s lie with the truth, and the truth is that I love sinners and want them to be with me. It is my plan to send a Savior to pave the way for their adoption into my eternal family. That’s my plan. I’m not going to tell them what to buy, but I will tell them to use their money wisely and give it generously. I’m not going to tell them whom to marry, but I will tell them that marriage is special and takes a lot of effort. I’m not going to tell them what job to take or where to work, but I will tell them to use their talents and be faithful. I’m not going to tell them whom to have as friends, but I will tell them to have compassion on all. Most of all, I will definitely tell them – better than that – I will promise them and swear by my holy reputation that their sins are covered by the rightness of my Son!”
Don’t lie awake at night worrying about God’s plans for you, and don’t be so fatalistic that you sit back and expect God to give you a sign. Open your Bibles, and then open your ears like young Samuel to listen to what really counts, God’s mercy on our miserable souls so we can live with him and his guidelines for our thankful attitude and actions. Stop looking for details under every rock and behind every cloud. Here’s what God wants us to know – You and I pathetic sinners with no hope of being in a happy relationship with God. But Jesus made us friends with God, and friends communicate, God to us through his Holy Word and us to God through our worship and prayer. “Speak, O Lord, and open our ears,” we pray, and he answers, “Just pay attention to all my words in Scripture. Your ears will be open, and your heart will be filled with confidence, the ability to relate to others, and hope for the future.”
The tragedy of God’s silence is over. God spoke to Samuel, to a host of other prophets, and to the apostles. All of what he wants us to know is right here in the Bible. The tragedy of not listening is also over for you and me when we pray with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening.” Amen.
Preached at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI (www.gracedowntown.org) on July 25, 2010
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