Melodies from the Heart

 

Del Bates, cbn.com

A cherished song can be a whisper from the Lord. Have you ever heard a song that brought you back to a certain moment in time? For me, it’s Ave Maria.  It was one my mom’s favorites; it will always remind me of her.

One of my fondest memories is when she was in the hospital after she fell and broke her hip.  After multiple surgeries, she ended up on a respirator for about a week. She began to regain her consciousness and was moved out of ICU.  My brother Tony and I followed her into her new room.

Once her nurses left the room, Tony started to sing Ave Maria to Mom. As his tender, yet powerful voice reached the notes as only he could do, tears trickled down my face as mom acknowledged his presence.

When I went to the bathroom to dry my eyes, I was surprised to see one of the housekeepers standing there.  With tears welling up, she mumbled, “Who—who is that singing? His voice, …it’s so beautiful.”

I told her that it was my younger brother Tony. As she continued to wipe her eyes, she said, “God knew that I needed to hear him today. I’m not usually on this floor,” she informed me, “but my supervisor sent me up here to clean this room today.”

You see, Beloved, when we exercise the gifts that God places within us, He touches people we may never know. Tony had no idea that he was ministering to one of the gals in the hospital. He just did what was natural to him.

Sometimes we think we are not qualified to do what God has called us to do. But whether it’s speaking or singing or teaching, or whatever He has called us to do, either to a crowd of thousands or to an audience of one, He just wants us to respond and He will do the rest.

Let us catch a glimpse of this from 1 Samuel. The Lord was calling the young boy Samuel, “Then the Lord called Samuel. And the boy answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening” 1 Samuel 3:10 NIV. But backing up just a few verses, we read that Samuel heard the voice three different times. He thought it was the prophet, Eli who was calling him. When he approached Eli, Eli answered that it was not him, and he told Samuel to go back and lie down.

I love verse eight when Samuel hears the voice the third time and approached Eli; listen to what happens: “A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me’ Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So, Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ So, Samuel went and lay down in his place.” 1 Samuel 3:8-9 NIV

Is He calling you? Has God given a special gift to you and has He been calling you to use it for His glory?

Just as my brother was gifted with a voice to sing, God has placed a special gift inside of you too. So, as the Lord called Samuel, He calls you. He calls me. The question is, how will we respond to His calling?

Think about it. Is there something that He is asking you to do? If so, then let us respond today as young Samuel did, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”