Who Me?

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” (1 Samuel 3:1-10 ESV). When Tony Campolo was 9 years old, he was baptized and joined the church along with two other young boys. Forty years later, Tony decided to dig into the old church records of the year he was baptized. There in the archives were the names of the three boys: Tony, Dick, and Bert. Dick had become a missionary. Bert was a professor of theology at an African seminary. Tony was a college teacher, conference speaker, and author. All three lives had been dedicated to service for God. Then he read the church report for that year. It said, "It has not been a good year for our church. We lost 27 members. Three people joined the church, but they were only children." Only children? Hardly. Any life, young or old, redeemed by Christ can be the beginning of God-honoring service. It is bittersweet when a person trusts God only as he takes his last gasp of air. However, more tragic than this is the attitude that many people have about themselves as they see themselves as unimportant. They are astonished at the call of God in their lives. No one should ask the question, “Who me?” when faced with the call of God. The Bible gives us examples of how people were used to bring glory to God. A young boy sharing his lunch became the occasion for Jesus to show His miraculous power by feeding the 5,000. Daniel showed great courage and became an unforgettable demonstration of God's protection. The boy Samuel listened to God and became an important prophet. Young David fought a giant with only a slingshot, and later he became King of Israel. God knows our true potential. I like the way Ray Boltz sings about it in his song "Shepherd Boy." Where others see a shepherd boy, God may see a king. When God looks at you and me, what does He see? Answer the Lord today with “Here I am Lord.”