According to Joe Sandven in Church Worship, “At the time the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic, a ship by the name of the Californian was only ten miles away. Unfortunately, the Californian had tuned out and had turned off its ship’s radio.

“The Carpathia was a greater distance away, but its radio was on. This ship heard the distress signal of the Titanic and came to the rescue as quickly as possible, but many lives were lost by the time she arrived. Once she arrived she was able to save hundreds of lives. But it was the Californian that could have been instrumental in saving many, many more lives had she only been listening.”

When it comes to serving God, personal experience has taught me that if I am always “tuned in and on the ready” and available, God always opens doors of opportunity for service.

The key is to keep our “spiritual listening” turned on at all times and be available for God to use us. As another has said, “The greatest ability is availability.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to live in tune with You and in obedience to Your Word and always be available to do Your bidding. Give me a loving heart, a listening ear, and a willing attitude so that I will always be obedient to Your leading. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Genesis 24:27 (KJV).