God speaks to children!
"The boy Samuel was serving God under Eli’s direction.....
...God called again, “Samuel!”—the third time! Yet again Samuel got up and went to Eli, “Yes? I heard you call me. Here I am.” That’s when it dawned on Eli that God was calling the boy. So Eli directed Samuel, “Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, ‘Speak, God. I’m your servant, ready to listen.’” Samuel returned to his bed." 1 Samuel 3:8-9
My Experience
Similar to Samuel, I don't think I realized God would speak to me at that age, or how He would do it. To be honest, when He did speak to me I did not realize it was Him until many years later.
Let me set the scene...
I was around 8 or 9 years old, just a normal kid, playing marbles and hockey. Not a pastor's child or anything like that. When my brother and I were that age, my Mom always got us 'cool' pyjamas - with some kind of designs on them. Thinking about this now, getting dressed in 'cool' pyjamas is a good motivator for two rambunctious, young boys to get ready for bed - wise on the part of my Mom, but I wasn't thinking about that then. We lived in a mobile home at that time. With its thin walls and small living space, it was a more humble abode compared to the houses we had previously lived in, and I was aware of this.
Having gotten ready for bed one evening (sort of similar to Samuel's story), I was lying in bed dressed in my 'cool' pyjamas and the light on, either reading or waiting for my Mom to tuck me in. I guess I started day-dreaming and looking at my pyjamas and I was struck with thoughts that had never crossed my mind before...
"These are really nice pyjamas, and I really like them. Mom and Dad must really love us, to work as hard as they do, and care about us enough to get us special pyjamas like these for us. Isn't it so nice of them to want us to look 'cool' and feel special in these night clothes?"
I remember feeling really loved and emotionally moved, almost to the point of tears. It was definitely a different experience for me, one I hadn't had before, and I haven't forgotten.
My thoughts have returned to this experience several times over the decades since for different reasons:
- seeing family pictures of my brother and I around that time in our pyjamas (see below)
- seeing the clothes my wife bought our kids when they were young
As I've reminisced about this, I've come to realize that God was speaking to me in my room in that mobile home about what love is, how parents love, and ultimately about His love for me as my heavenly Father. He was not speaking audibly to me. It was more thoughts and impressions in a special moment. There are some scripture verses that, in the years since, have helped me realize that this had been a God moment and He was speaking to me:
- The story of Samuel, referenced above
- "Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle."
James 1:17 - Jacob making and giving Joseph his coat of many colours
- "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1
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| Me with a new Bible for my Birthday in a pair of 'cool' pyjamas around the time mentioned above |
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| My and my brother, also around the time mentioned above, in different 'cool' pyjamas. |
