have two devotion books that I use consistently and have for a number of years. One is My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. The other is A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God. It amazes me how often these two very different devotions will deal with the same subject on a given day. In the reading for today Chambers' remarks were on John 6:44, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him...." In his teaching, Chambers said. "Belief is not the result of an intellectual act but the act of my will whereby I deliberately commit myself." In the other book, today's reading is 1 Samuel 3:1-14, the call of Samuel. The Scripture says that Samuel did not yet know God when he heard the voice of God calling him in the middle of the night. He thought that it was his mentor, Eli. After Samuel went to Eli three times saying that he heard Eli call, Eli finally "got it" and understood that it was God calling Samuel. He told Samuel to go back and lie down again. He told Samuel that when he heard the voice again that he should say, "Speak Lord for your servant is listening." There was no intellectual understanding on Samuel's part. He couldn't reason it out, he could only listen and obey. What God told Samuel was that God was going to use Samuel to convey God's message to Israel. God did use Samuel. Samuel became one of the greatest of the prophets of Israel. It wasn't because Samuel had some specific training. It wasn't because Samuel had used his intellect to come to an understanding of God and God's nature. It was because God chose Samuel. God called Samuel, and God equipped Samuel. All Samuel did was to surrender his will to God and obeyed the call. As I reflected on these two devotions I remembered when I first heard God's call. This was fifty-two years ago but the memory is as clear as if it was only yesterday. I was thirteen years old. (I'll save you the trouble of adding and admit that I am 65.) Even though I had been raised Roman Catholic, I had been attending a youth group at a Baptist church because that is where all of my friends were going. (And truth be told, because the pastor had some really cute sons.) I don't remember having learned anything or having made any kind of reasoned study about Christianity. I only remember that one Sunday morning at the end of the sermon the pastor gave an invitation for commitment to Christ. I did not understand what all of that meant. What I did know was that "something" was compelling me to step out of the pew and walk down that aisle. Of course, as I grew in understanding I came to understand that the "something" was the Holy Spirit. As I recall, my words to the pastor were, "I've been a Catholic all of my life but I am a Christian now." I have never questioned that decision. I have never made a conscious choice to turn back from that decision. There have been times when I wavered from the path over the years but God has always brought me back. God has used me in many ways over these fifty-two years but not because of anything that I planned or decided to do. I only made myself available and obeyed when I heard God call. Many times God has used me in spite of my will as well. When you feel that nudge. When "something" compels you to take some action, don't try to reason it out. Don't consult some "experts". Just surrender your will and obey. Chambers' reading for today ends with a profound thought that I would like to share with you. "Everyone has been created with the ability to reach out beyond his own grasp. But it is God who draws me, and my relationship to Him in the first place is an inner one, not an intellectual one. I come into the relationship through the miracle of God and my own will to believe. Then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transformation in my life."
