Revisiting Samuel

Tonight my 8 yr. old asked me a question.
He asked, "How do you know it is God talking to you about getting saved? What if I only want to get saved because I don't want to go to hell, but it's me and not God speaking to me?"

This is a deep question. It's deep because I don't know all the answers to it. And the answers I have may not be the ones needed. It's deep because I truly want the children to go to God looking for the Saviour. I also don't want to get in the way. I could jump at the opportunity, but it would be I jumping and not him. I want it to be their moment with God. Their decision. Their act of faith and their start of a relationship with Almighty God. If God is visiting his heart, then God is dealing with him and therefore knows better than I how to deal with him as an individual.

He wanted to talk about God, salvation, and about his soul. So we talked.

This has been our prayer over the years. That their heart would be tender to hear God. That they would begin to seek the Saviour because they begin to sense the need for Him. That there would be a concern for their soul.

Samuel was a child when God visited Him. He didn't recognize the voice of God.
I have tender thoughts about this account. Perhaps because it is such a beautiful picture of the grace and love of God.
Eli, who was not in the will of God, directed Samuel to go back and lay down, but he told him that if he was called again he should answer, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth." God called again, and Samuel answered.

He and I took a little, private time to pray tonight. I prayed out loud for God to keep his heart tender to his dealings. And that if He was drawing him to get saved, that God would give him assurance and faith to believe in Him and trust Him.
He prayed that God would help him and he prayed that God would let him know whether it was His calling to Him he was sensing through out his day. My heart wanted to pour buckets of tears out to think of God's faithfulness to deal with my children, but I saved them.

Maybe God will keep calling, and my son will answer. This is what I'm going to pray about tonight. Those tears a better spent alone with God.