UPFRONT May 17, 2010 Issue

MODERN-DAY SAMUELS

STEVE GRAHAM,

Remember the Bible story of Samuel? He was the young boy who heard God speaking so clearly that he mistook it for the voice of Eli the priest calling him in the night. When Eli perceived that Samuel was in fact hearing God's voice, he told him to humbly acknowledge that calling. And as he grew, the Bible says, "The Lord was with Samuel, and did let none of his words fall to the ground" (I Sam. 3:19).

The book of First Samuel prefaces this account by explaining how precious God's Word was at that time. The Contemporary English Version says it this way: "In those days, the Lord hardly ever spoke directly to people ..." (I Sam. 3:1). And because it might sometimes seem that things aren't very different today—3,000 years later—we planned this week's Sentinel issue to help readers explore ways of cultivating a receptivity to God's guidance and direction. To be modern-day Samuels, if you will, expressing a child's trustful obedience to healing, life-giving thoughts of good.

We think you'll find a lot to consider in Lois Herr's article on page 15. She helps us see that hearing God's voice isn't about getting closer to something far off, but rather about realizing we're already one with our Father-Mother, even when everything around us says otherwise. And be sure to read Larissa Snorek-Yates's fascinating story on page 18. She tells how she learned so much about listening for divine direction, while traveling abroad during college. Through it, she gained the confidence that this "could bring me through anything."