No Words on the Ground

The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground. 1 Samuel 3:19.

This verse was part of a Bible study I taught last week, and although I’d read it before, it really impacted me today.  Think of it, how amazing would it be, if none of our words fell to the ground?  Imagine what it would be like if every sentence you spoke was valuable. That implies that idle gossip, and anything frivolous would never escape our lips.  Yikes, good bye Facebook! But, Samuel wasn’t just any average man. If you recall his biography, to begin with he was an answer to his mother, Hannah’s, fervent prayers for a child.  Not only that, but she had made a vow that she would give the child to God after he was weaned, and she did.

Before I get sidetracked, let me come back to the significance of this verse.  In an attempt to explain this to my study group, God gave me the following analogy.  I’ve been pouring over floor plans in hopes of building a new home this year.  Let me tell you, there are thousands of plans, but I’ve been looking for the one that doesn’t waste any of the precious, and expensive square footage.  Every nook, every wall must be useful. In other words, to paraphrase the verse, none of the square footage would fall to the ground, it must serve a purpose.  Imagine, with me, that Samuel’s words were a house.  The layout would be simple, but more than adequate to live well, and comfortably in.

God blessed Samuel with a gift that none of us in this tweeting, posting and texting generation can truly comprehend.  What would it be like to only utter the exactly perfect words?  Among other things, we could probably get a great job with Hallmark! But seriously, it would be phenomenal!   Think of your daily communications.  What percent of your words falls to the ground?  I’m guessing that the majority of mine wind up around my feet needing to be swept out.

Is it even possible to be a Samuel?  God knows how important our words are in the building of our spiritual homes, and he wants each one to count.  After contemplating this verse, I’ve been praying towards that end, that all my words be beneficial, and bring glory to God. Are you interested in doing the same? Don’t worry, you don’t have to give up social media, but ask God to help you simply. King David sums it up well when he wrote, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14