Eli’s Gift

Summary

The Bible tells many stories that include the audible voice of God; but I think it far more likely that God speaks to us through the sort of faint shiver that emerges out of the silence, as Jayber Crow experienced it. Samuel’s call in the Bible is neither flashy nor grand. He hears a voice in the night: something out of the ordinary, something so indistinct he needs someone else to help him understand what it is. Three times God speaks before Samuel understands. One of the remarkable things about this story is how softly and gently God spoke, a voice more subtle than spectacular.