Walking with Samuel

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. _{1 Samuel 3:19}

I shared my thoughts on this verse a couple of years ago, but it is such an interesting verse that I decided to share it again. It was the phrase ‘and let none of his words fall to the ground’ that really struck me and it gave me a visual of words being carried through the air. It sounds a bit strange, I know, but just imagine it for a moment.

Imagine seeing every word you spoke literally going out from your mouth, and watching as they either go up, go out, or go down. All the words of praise, thanksgiving, petition and intercession are carried upwards to heaven; every word that tells others of the love of God and the work of the cross, and every word spoken in kindness, encouragement and support are carried on the breath of the Spirit and absorbed by the listener. But, every unkind word, every half-truth, words of gossip and those of no worth just fall to the ground. As you imagine that happening, how much of your conversation would just be lying at your feet?

It is quite a sobering thought, but it is something we have control over, for we can choose to use our words in all the ways that God intended. One of the saddest verses in the story of Samuel is right at the beginning and it tells us that ‘the word of the Lord was rare in those days.’ In Samuel, however, God found someone who was willing to listen and willing to carry his words to those who needed to hear.

The exciting thing about the words we speak concerning the Word of God is that, “the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle” (v11). Verse 15 tells us that Samuel lay until morning and then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Pushing the doors open wide is like a gesture that says, ‘come and hear what the Lord has to say’.

We need to open the doors of our heart and mind and allow God’s Word to reside there, so that when we open the door of our mouth, only words that have worth come out.