Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
The characters and stories of the Old Testament form a rich tapestry, revealing both the best and worst of the human condition—and, most importantly, how God relates to us.
Based on the Living Covenant book series, this podcast explores the sometimes messy lives of those who lived under God’s first covenant, asking what these blessedly unsanitised saints can teach us about living out our faith in relationship with a God who promises never to leave us or forsake us.
Welcome to the Living Covenant Podcast, where we journey through the messy human stories of the Old Testament explore what it means to live in covenant with a promise keeping God. I'm your host, Zanita. Let's dive in.
Hello, everyone. Today on the podcast, we are talking about an article titled Hearing in the Silence by Joelle Weeks. And Joelle, welcome to the show, by the way. Thank you for being here.
Thanks for having me. This is exciting.
it is exciting, and I'm excited for this conversation 'cause I feel like there are so many good lessons in the story of Samuel that are, I don't know, probably more relevant than they ever have been. I know that they had issues in the biblical times back then, but I feel like the world is so much louder and noisier today.
And so I think the story of Samuel just touches on some cool things. But before we get into the life of Samuel do you wanna start by telling us about you? Where are you from, and what does your life look like on a day-to-day kind of basis??
right. So I'm- ... originally from Cape Town, South Africa, but I married two Australians. Now I'm in Australia, for now and the time being. And I have a wonderful opportunity to connect with the Kingswood Adventist Church.
Um, they run a Bible school for three months of the year, and I've been involved with that. So yeah, it's been awesome. Just enjoying Australia.
Yeah. Awesome. How long have you been in Australia now for?
Oh, it's been a couple years, since 2019.
Okay. Yeah.
Yeah.
Awesome. Well, we like having you here, so hopefully you'll stick around.
Thanks.
now you were one of the final authors that we got on board for this project, so you didn't get much of a choice as to which character you were gonna pick. That's typically like, the first thing I ask is, "Okay, why did you choose this person?"
you only had an option of three characters, But I do wanna know, Samuel is quite a long book. You got 1 Samuel and you've got 2 Samuel. I think the 1 Samuel is, like, 31 chapters and the second is 📍 24. So we do see a lot of his life. So why did you choose to write about the certain part of his life that you did?
Oh, good question. I must have been... I don't know if you grew up with the Bible Friends storybooks- Mm-hmm ... that, um yeah, just have beautiful illustrations and tell the Bible stories so simply. And I think in my mind when I think of Samuel, I think of that book and the story of Samuel as a little boy going to sleep and then hearing this voice of God and then going to Eli.
And so when I think of Samuel that's always the first story that I think of and so- Yeah ... um, when I had to decide of what to focus on I was like, "Yeah, of course, it has to be it has to be that story." So that's kind of what led to that.
Okay, awesome. So it's obviously a familiar story to you, but for those who don't really know much about who Samuel is and what that classic, iconic story is, can you give us a little bit of a snapshot as to who he is and what happens in his early life?
Yeah, for sure. I probably have to touch on his mom real quickly. So Hannah, his mom, she really wanted a child, but just was barren. And so she would pray to God, and just for years, she... There was, there was no child, essentially. And so I assume in Hannah's position, it must have felt like God was silent all those years.
And but eventually she has this child, and she's so thankful for Samuel, who's eventually born. And out of her gratitude to God for granting her desire, she actually dedicates him to the tabernacle, where he gets to work alongside Eli, working and serving in the temple. And so that's kind of where the story picks up.
Um, I guess it was one night when he was sleeping or getting ready for sleep, and he hears someone calling him, and he assumes it must be Eli needing something or wanting something. And so he gets up and responds, and Eli's like, "I, I didn't call you," like, "Go back to sleep." And so he goes back to his bed, and then it happens two more times.
He hears a voice, goes. Hears a voice, goes back. And then Eli thinks, "Okay, maybe this is, this is God talking, and it's definitely not him." And so he tells Samuel, "When you hear the voice again, respond." And he hears this voice again, and he says something along the lines of like, "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears."
Mm-hmm. And yeah, that's kind of what happened in the nutshell. So like in the silence, God speaks, and that's kind of what I was taking out of the story, and I guess we'll unpack that a little bit more.
Hmm. Yeah. Did you choose to write on this because you feel like you've sat in those periods of silence yourself?
'Cause I feel like people are always drawn to these stories in the Bible where God audibly speaks to them, because it's something that we don't often. I know there are people who are like, "Yeah, I've audibly heard the Lord," but most people, they don't anymore. And so it's like wow.
Oh, for sure.
What do you think? I'd love that to happen.
Yeah.
Um, but I kind of relate to Hannah as well in the terms of being so intentional about praying for something, and you're waiting for something, and you feel like it's silent. And then looking at Samuel's story, it's like, wow, here he is in a somewhat silent time of the day, and then God speaks.
So kind of making those connections- Mm-hmm ... for me, stood out. But yeah, I definitely relate to wanting to hear from God. Where is he when I feel like he's being silent in my life? Especially during periods of, discouragement or heartbreak or just not knowing what the next step is in my life. So I, I definitely relate to that.
yeah, you started your piece by drawing on this, I guess, uncomfortable reality that I'm sure many of us, or probably most of us, have found ourselves in at some- some point where we've prayed for something for a long time and not really heard anything, just like Hannah.
And I think the tendency for a lot of us is to just kind of, like, keep going in life and to occupy ourselves and to busy ourselves. Um- Mm-hmm ... because I, I know from my experience when I've had periods of, silence or waiting for something, it's harder to sit in the silence because it's- Yeah
almost like the reality of everything is, like dawning on me. And so it's just easier to occupy myself, and distract myself. But why else do you think it is that we struggle to just sit and listen for God?
Sure. Yeah, that's a good question. Before I touch on that, maybe like... Yeah, 'cause I think for some people it's like, "Okay, keep busy.
Don't think about the thing that's really bothering me." Um, but then on the other hand, I think it can also lead people to question, "Well, where is God? Isn't He supposed to be there when I need Him?" Mm-hmm. "And if He's so loving and great, where is He right now?" So I think there's- Yeah ... definitely, two ways people respond to the silence.
And yeah, I think the busyness of life just keeps us from sitting and being quiet. And that's definitely something that I struggle with, and I've realized that, you know, if I really want a relationship with God, it's not so much about being busy, it's like, where are my priorities? Do I actually want a relationship with God?
Well, then I need to make sure that I'm, you know, carving out time in my day to maybe have personal devotions or connect with Him throughout the day and stuff. So it's, it is confronting when you really have to be honest, "Well, how important is God and my personal relationship with Him or not?" So yeah, definitely a lot to reflect on- Mm-hmm
and it's hard. It, it definitely is hard to- Yeah ... make that decision and figure it out.
Yeah, it's asking that difficult question that I think we've all had to wrestle with at some point in our lives. Like, do I want God or do I just want that thing that maybe He can offer me or give me? Do I just want the answers to His prayers, or do I actually want a relationship with Him?
Yeah, absolutely.
It's interesting just going back to the story of Samuel. Like, many of the depictions I think we grew up seeing of Samuel show him as a young boy. Like, in some depictions he looks like he's about five or six. Just to kinda get a better gauge, I looked this up earlier, and most commentators place him around the ages of nine to 13 📍 when God spoke to him.
And they know that because he had already been living at a tabernacle for a few years, and he was obviously old enough to be trusted with duties there. But it does make you wonder, like, I can imagine that some people might read Samuel's story and feel quite frustrated, because God just comes to him, and he's 12.
He hasn't had to do that much waiting. It's not like he's been in Hannah's situation where she's been praying for something and waiting for something for years and years and years, and calling to God and, you know, kind of desperate for an answer, desperate for a response from 📍 God. but I guess on the flip side, it's also, like, well, it does show that God doesn't just respond to people or seek out people when they're calling to him.
He's also pursuing people and working in people's lives before they even can recognize his voice. And so I think that's, yeah, a cool thing to consider as well, while it's also, you know, in, times that you are calling to God and are speaking to God, Samuel's story might be really frustrating.
Right well, the other aspect I think that really stuck out was the fact that everything that he's doing essentially is serving God, is doing something for God, is God-focused. And that was kind of a reality check for me too, 'cause I've done stuff within the church work. And I'm sure many people who are listening to this, they've been very active in church, whether it's, singing or AV or hospitality, and it's very easy to be busy doing things for God.
Mm-hmm. And sometimes that can be so much a thing that we do, and yet we almost miss God in doing that. I don't know if that makes sense. But we can't substitute being busy for God with not actually spending time with him and having a relationship with him. So I think that really out to me as well.
It's like, oh, god could have spoken to Samuel when he was maybe helping with the sacrifices or cleaning the temple or all these things, but yet it was actually in the silence when God could get his full attention, that's when God speaks to him. And so I was like, "Wow, am I missing just that one-on-one time?" Mm.
Yeah. Yeah. And do we know what God said to Samuel after he came to him?
Yeah. Well, the rest was interesting. It had a lot more to do with Eli and what Eli's fate and his sons' fate, I think, was gonna be, and, I think God's judgment in the future. So it seemed that Samuel was just the messenger for Eli and his family of what God was going to do.
But then I think that was just a real starting point, because God was going to use Samuel in the future as a prophet to, like tell people what God had in mind or what God was going to do. And so it also just showed how incredible of a plan God had for Samuel's life in the end, 'cause, like, Hannah had dedicated him not knowing what would become of him, but God actually used him to do great things in the future.
So I think that's also an encouragement for me that in the moment when things are hard and tough, you maybe can't see the plan that God has for you, but eventually I think God does reveal things over time. So just keep trusting him in the big and small moments of life.
Yeah, I think it's really cool that, you know, obviously Hannah struggled for a long time just with wrestling through that period, and then to have a son who the Lord would speak to and was just... like he obviously saw Samuel or saw his potential and- Right. Yeah ... thought it was important to speak to him and give him that, encouragement or that direction in life. So it's almost like a gift to Hannah as well in that sense.
Mm. Oh, for sure. And one of the other things when just, like, reading the story that kind of struck me was when God speaks to Samuel, he is called to... Or he has to make a decision, right? Does he just go back to bed, or does he ignore the voice? Mm-hmm. But he actually has to make a decision to respond, and I thought that was so powerful because, like we were talking about Hannah was God-fearing, Eli was, you know, very active in the work that he was doing, but Samuel's relationship with God had to be his own.
It couldn't be through Hannah. It couldn't be through Eli. It had to be his own communication and decision. And I think all of us have to make that decision at some point in our lives. We can't depend on our parents or our friends' connection with God. Mm. We have to make it our own. And so, yeah, I think that's really important to, yes, develop that relationship if we have questions or doubts about God, make the time to invest in it, you know- Put God to the test, read the Bible and just pray and say, "God, you know, maybe I have doubts about this or that, and reveal yourself to me."
And I think God will do incredible things if we're willing to just engage with him.
Mm. Yeah, absolutely. I think people also, they look at other people's relationships with God, and they have certain ideas as to what that looks like. And it's easy to kind of piggyback off other people's faith. But I think it's like, just with a friendship, we can make it our own, and that's the best part about- Yeah ... getting to know God is it's not, doesn't look like everyone else's relationship. Yeah.
Absolutely.
Um, I feel like the, the most classic answer these days when you ask someone how is it's often like this, "Oh, yeah, I'm good, but I'm like really busy" kind of response. And I feel like we've heard that a lot, and I feel like there's been a lot more, I don't know, information or books or help on how to slow down and how to declutter your life and all this stuff.
But people are still busy because of, you know, rising cost of living, because of the circumstances in the world. And so it almost feels like busy is kind of unavoidable at times. Especially for people with kids, how do you just declutter your life, or how do you slow down when there's, so much going on that is important?
And it... I think even probably people who are serving in the church experience this also, 'cause it's like, "Oh, that's just another thing on top of family and work and exercise and all of this stuff." So are there any ways that people can practically find time with God in their schedules without having to block out long periods of time?
Are there ways that we can juggle things, or is He really just calling for that isolated time in the trees kind of thing?
Right. Yeah. Well, first of all, when you were first starting to talk, I was like, "Oh, I am that person that responds with, 'I'm busy.'" I always feel so bad for saying that, 'cause it's like surely there's more descriptions I could use to describe my life.
But yeah, busy normally is the go-to word. But, yeah, good question. I don't think I have the ultimate answer, but I was thinking about this earlier, um, and, and this is something that I still I need to practice more, and that is kind of making God part of my day and not just a small part of my day, if that makes sense.
So, like I'm... I believe that having personal devotions are really important, so in the morning I try and do that. But then what about the rest of my day? Like, I ideally still want to be connected to God, so how can I do that? And I think if we each try and figure out ways to stay connected to God that would be easier at least.
So maybe someone loves to go to the beach in the morning and see the sunrise. You know, make that part of your time to spend with God. As you're doing that walk, maybe do some prayers. Um, When I used to go to the gym, I probably should get back into that, but when I used to go I used to, like, listen to sermons, instead of music or anything like that, just to get encouragement that way or learn something new.
So yeah. Maybe also... Oh, I feel like everyone loves connecting with friends, right? So, one thing that's been really helpful and beneficial for me is being involved in a small group Bible study. So once a week we meet at someone's house, we have dinner together, we catch up. And then afterwards we have a sh- a Bible study and we get to pray for each other at the end of that.
And that's been so encouraging. Like surrounding yourself with people who care about you spiritually as well, who care about your spiritual wellbeing, who are actually praying for you, and that way you're building a beautiful community and you're connecting with God-fearing people. So I think, yeah, that's been really encouraging for me on my journey so far.
And I think it's, yeah, I couldn't recommend it more to other people if that's possible
I think that's cool because It's just like anything, right? It's important to spend one-on-one time with God. But you can also spend time with him in groups of community- Right
and in groups of friendship as well. Um, yeah. Invite him to the dinner. Yeah. I think it was, uh, Corrie ten Boom who said, "If the devil can't make you sin, he'll make you busy," which I think is really relevant to this conversation 'cause . It seems impossible to kind of find time and it's just another thing that draws us away from God.
Um- Yeah ... but yeah, we can definitely find him in those micro moments of life.
Yeah, absolutely. Aw, you just mentioned Corrie ten Boom. Her story has been so inspiring. Um- Yeah ... if anyone hasn't read her book, The Hiding Place, make it a priority. Mm. I actually went to Holland this year and I was like, "I have to see her house.
I have to see the hiding place." And it was incredible just to see how God had used this woman. You know, like, didn't have a family of her own, just living... not married or children, but God had used her so incredibly just because she was willing to say yes to helping people- Mm
in the space that she had. And I think, yeah, that's definitely so encouraging because you don't need to be, super talented. You don't need to have all the information about the Bible. You know, I think we always expect, "Oh, I need more," or, "I need to be able to communicate better," but, God can use you where you are just as you are.
So yeah, her story is so inspiring.
Mm. Yeah, I think there's a parallel between her and Hannah and people who are in seasons of waiting. 'Cause I know a lot of people whether they're in a season of waiting for a job, a partner, a child, I guess there's more time to themselves in those periods.
And that might not be the same case for everyone who's waiting for something, for sure, but, I think that's a important lesson of oh, well, what are you doing with that waiting season?
Exactly, yeah.
Because I think you know, we just tend to kind of, fill it with things or complain because it hasn't happened yet. but we obviously see this in the story with Hannah, where she's praying and she's praying and she's, longing for something. But what does waiting patiently look like in these seasons when we're not hearing anything from God?
Yeah, well I think just, just keep going.
Like don't... Again, I think kind of what I was saying, everyone has to make the decision, do you choose to hold on to God or do you let go of God? I guess my encouragement would be keep holding on to God, you know? And don't miss what He's doing in the small things because I think the story of Moses when the children of Israelites are finally leaving Egypt, they, you know, they've been in captivity for so long.
They're wanting the promised land, you know, they're ready for the better life, and yet they have this, like the water in front of them. How are they going to cross the sea? Mm. And then Moses says something along the lines of "Don't panic," but like, "Look and see what God is about to do." And I found that verse quite impactful in my life just in terms of just wait.
Like look what God is doing right now. Is He bringing someone into your life right now just to encourage you? Mm. Is He providing a meal for you? Is He, I don't know. There's so many things we can be grateful for, and I think that's definitely an area that I've realized I just need to practice gratitude a lot more, 'cause God is definitely providing in so many ways.
And so I think we can get so fixated on what is God not doing supposedly that I want Him to do, and yet missing all the other blessings that He actually is providing. So sometimes I think there is that perspective shift that maybe needs to happen. Mm. But of course it's easier said than done, but definitely something I think we can all work on.
Yeah. Yeah, obviously hindsight makes it a lot easier. In the moment, it's a lot tougher. I know there's, the Bible verse, I think it talks about asking, seeking and knocking, and it's for talking about prayer. I know when you translate it in like the original language, it actually more so says, "Keep on asking and you'll receive. Keep on seeking and you'll find." Find. "Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you." So it's like an encouragement to like, keep doing it. I think we read those verses sometimes in the Bible and we think it's just do this and bam, you'll get your answer. Yeah. But it is like a keep on going keep praying, keep waiting.
Absolutely.
What is the biggest takeaway that you've gained after? Like you obviously have grown up knowing this story of Samuel. Reading it again- Mm ... in your later years, has the story kind of changed for you since you first read it? Or have you learnt something that you didn't see in it before?
I guess the reality and the question I kind of had to ask if in that season of silence 'cause it, I think it sometimes it can be easy to point at God, like where is God? But what if it's me? I think that's the question that really hit me this time. What if it's actually me? Yeah. Like what if I'm just not connecting?
What if I'm just not making the time? What if I'm just not praying and being intentional about that? What if it's not God? And I think in the story of Samuel, we see that God was there, right? He wasn't missing in action or anything. Samuel just had to be still and so for me it's just been a wake-up call, like am I really serious about my connection with you Lord?
Yeah, I know in your article you said that you've been, praying and fasting a little bit more, as a way to try and kind of like create that space, , to connect with God. How has your experience been with that? Have you seen any big changes or has it been difficult?
Tell us about it.
Yeah. Well, I really enjoy eating and so having to be disciplined about food is... I think is actually getting easier. So maybe I'll say that, but at the beginning it's like, "Okay, when is my next meal?" And I'm usually thinking, "Okay, like how many hours has it been? Can I eat yet?"
But I think that again, my struggle was like, but I'm missing the point. The point isn't trying to see like how long can I last without food, it's like use this time to connect more with God. And so, um,... it still is a work in progress. But I think just practicing that discipline and, you know, every week because it's a few of us who do it once a week.
Um, so just continuing to try that practice, fast and pray, and just keep praying and seeing what God will do. And we can already see in our group that have been doing it that God is answering in small ways. So that's definitely encouraging.
Super cool. Before we finish, I don't expect a full life review of Samuel's. But we know this little snapshot, but where does his life go from this point on? Do we see him have a close relationship with God and hear from God all the time?
Or what do we know from his story?
I think it's just, yeah, evident that God was using him- Mm-hmm ... um, and that he was definitely a mouthpiece for God. And I think, you know, maybe that ties back to when God calls him initially. Like, will, would Samuel respond? Was Samuel faithful in the little things?
And because he was, like, God could actually use me to do incredible things. And so, um, when I think of the life of Samuel, I just think of a life that was fully dedicated to God and committed to him. Mm-hmm. So yeah, that's definitely encouraging in my life. And he was able to do so many incredible things just 'cause he was willing to be used by God.
And sometimes I think you just have to say yes to God. Like even doing this podcast, I don't do things like this much. Um, but it's like- Yeah ... you never know what God can do through you if you're willing to do it. Yeah. And so I think that's definitely an encouragement for all of us. Sometimes you just have to say yes for God and let him do the rest- Yeah
but be willing.
Yeah. Love that. Very cool. Well, we have touched a little bit on the life of Samuel, but I would love to know, what you've learnt about God in reading Samuel's story?
Yeah.
Probably my biggest takeaway, and I might have said this already, was that God was always there, ultimately. That even though there were times maybe that Samuel maybe didn't feel Him directly, or Hannah didn't feel Him directly, or definitely in my life when I'm like, "Where is God when I need Him?" He is always there.
And so yeah, that's just encouragement to know that no matter how we feel about a situation it doesn't change the fact of the character of who God actually is. And it's the fact that He is a loving God, and He cares about us. And He has a purpose and a plan for each one of us as well.
Hmm.
Yeah, awesome. I think even if, I know some people, they don't spend months with God, or I've definitely been in that situation where I, I'm like, "Oh, I haven't talked to God for so long," or I've been so distracted and so busy. But yeah, He doesn't, um, hold that against us, so He's always happy for us to come talk to Him- Yeah
spend time with Him. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Joelle, for writing your story. It was awesome to hear your reflections and, yeah, very inspiring and encouraging. If anyone- Would like to read it, you can find the full version on the Record website, or you can find it in the Living Covenant book.
So thank you again for joining us, Joelle
thanks so much