Tingling Ears

“Then the LORD said to Samuel, ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel

that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle.’”

–1 Samuel 3:11

My college roommate Jim is a physician. We first met when I was 17 and have been friends ever since. Each of us served as the best man at the other’s wedding and when his oldest child was baptized, I stood with them as a sponsor. We don’t see each other that often living as we do in different parts of the country. Sometimes we will go months without talking, too, but then one of us will call and open not with “Hi Jim” or “Hi John,” but an insulting nickname from our freshman year. The conversation then flows as easily as if we had spoken the day before.     

A few years ago, Jim tried to reach me first on my cell phone and then our landline. I missed him both times and he ended up leaving a message on Lori’s cell. That kind of persistence was unusual so I called back as soon as I could. We started with some brief small talk and then he told me of a health challenge facing his wife. Indications were that she was going to be fine, but as he described her treatment plan there was still an unsettledness in his voice. There was also a story of amazement over what led to the discovery of her condition.

Jim is an urologist and I am confident he is an excellent physician. He is also a devoted husband and father. Yet most important of all, he is a committed follower of Jesus Christ, the youngest son of Presbyterian missionaries, who throughout his adult life has been active in his local church. All of those aspects intersected at a medical conference he had recently attended in New York City. 

Though I have never been present for such an event, my perception is that there are non-stop lectures by doctors, researchers, and representatives of health-related firms designed to help physicians remain current on the latest treatments and discoveries. A day or so into the conference Jim was tired of sitting and told me that just as the next speaker was introduced he thought about walking out for a break and some fresh air.  Yet then he decided to stay. He will forever be glad that he did.

The presenter was talking about a very rare form of renal cell cancer. As he started to describe its symptoms, Jim sat up straight. His wife had been experiencing similar issues and despite an array of tests they had not been able to determine what was going on. When the speaker ended, Jim went up to learn more and on returning home encouraged his wife to undergo a specialized test. She was diagnosed with the disease he had just learned of at that conference. It’s a form of cancer that normally doesn’t present itself until things are so advanced the prognosis is poor, yet in speaking with Jim that day, he felt confident of her prospects for a full recovery. Conversations since confirmed that to have been the case.

Yet in that phone visit years ago, Jim was still trying to process the sequence of events. “Here I am, an urologist and my own wife had the disease. I had never heard of it before, and could have missed that lecture completely.” “It sure sounds providential to me,” I said.  “No doubt,” Jim replied. “No doubt at all.”   

The central idea behind this blog is that God is still working in the world.  That our Maker did not set things in motion and then sat back to watch. Instead, the Biblical narrative and our own lives point to One who is actively creating and guiding, blessing and inspiring us. One who still uses the everyday events of life to get across life-changing messages in unexpected ways. That was true for Jim at a medical conference. The Scriptural verse heard earlier speaks of that outcome, too.

It comes from a wonderful account when God calls a boy named Samuel into service as a prophet. You can find the whole narrative in the third chapter of First Samuel describing what it took for Samuel to accept that it was God speaking to him. Three times, he thought it was his mentor Eli calling out for him in the night, but when he finally understands it is God speaking, a wonderful conversation begins at the next divine appearance.

God says to the boy “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle.” In that occasion, the message is about coming punishment because of how the sons of Eli have been misbehaving. Still, I love the image of “tingling ears” for it captures the human reaction to amazing news still. In particular, when we learn of how God has come to someone we know or when we recognize such activity in our own lives. As in such moments we, too, sit up and listen intently, ask questions and consider what to do next.   

I’m not suggesting that every medical conference lecture is used by the Almighty nor do I claim that every voice in the night is a divine message. Yet I will continually affirm that one cannot predict how and when God will act. Which means that we need to remain alert to the unexpected ways such messages come, especially when the account causes both ears to tingle.  

Surprising One, just about the time I get dogmatic, certain that I know it all, you upend what I thought was fact. Just about time I yawn in monotony you come dancing in with a lively step. Just about the time I think I know you, you turn up, show another side of yours, and there I am, surprised again. Amen. (adapted from words from David Steindal-Rast in Fragments of Your Ancient Name by Joyce Rupp, Notre Dame, Indiana: Sorin Books, 2011, September 8)