afraid. Let Him talk to you!
God Talks to Those With a Simple, Childlike
Trust
My friend and her granddaughter were talking about what to
do when you feel afraid. The grandmother said, “Honey, if you
ever feel afraid, just call on Jesus, and He’ll come to you.” The
little girl looked at her grandmother, smiled brightly, and
corrected her elder. She said, “Why would I have to call on
Him, Gramma? He’s always with me.”
Is it really that simple? Can children feel or sense God’s
presence with them, even though He is invisible? Can a child
hear God talk?
First Samuel—one of the Bible’s Old Testament books, a
historical account of the nation of Israel around 1000 BC—
opens with the plight of Hannah, who was barren. During a
tearful outpouring at the temple altar during the yearly religious
celebration, she begged God to give her a child. The Message,
a paraphrase of the Bible by Eugene Peterson, reveals her
anguished appeal to God: “Crushed in soul... she made a
vow:... By giving me a son, I’ll give him... unreservedly to
you” (1 Samuel 1:10–11). God answered her, and less than a
year after her emotional altar encounter she conceived and
delivered a son. In deep gratitude, she fulfilled her promise to
God and dedicated her young boy to the Lord by offering him
to temple service. She named him Samuel, which means, “I
asked God for him” (1 Samuel 1:20 THE MESSAGE).
Not long after young Samuel began his temple service, he