God’s way of working is often quiet.
One stark example of this is found in 1 Samuel 2:11-26. After a seemingly bright start to the book, with Hannah receiving answered prayer in the form of children, the middle portion of chapter 2 takes a downward turn.
Here we meet the immoral and ungodly sons of Eli – “scoundrels with no regard for the Lord.” (v.12) Hophni and Phinehas were meant to be leading the people of God in proper worship of Yahweh; instead, they worshipped only themselves. 1 Samuel 2 introduces us to such moral decay within God’s people that hope for change seems foolish.
But sprinkled in the darkness are quiet glimmers of hope.1 Samuel is found serving in the temple (v11) even as the following verses outline the corrupted and profaned worship of the Lord (v12-17). Samuel is then described as a faithful servant ministering before the Lord (v18-21) before the text again highlights the gross moral failures of Eli’s sons (v22-25). A quick mention of Samuel growing is made in v26 before there is a prophecy made against Eli’s sons (v27-36), and this section ends with another mention of Samuel serving (3:1a).
As Dale Ralph Davis highlights, these little notes about Samuel, which are so easy to pass over – or miss altogether – are noteworthy. The Lord is on the move, providing a new and faithful leadership for his people. But his movement is absent of campaigns, slogans, leadership debates and prime time interviews – things we are so used to seeing when a change of leadership is pending. There is no noise. Yet the text keeps whispering – here is Samuel. Here is Yahweh’s quiet provision even when it seems all hope is lost for Israel’s leaders.
This quiet provision seems to be a common characteristic of how the Lord chooses to act. After all, it was also the way his own Son began his earth-side years. An unassuming start in the shepherd town of Bethlehem, three decades of humble carpentry work, much of which we know nothing about, until his public ministry began. Quiet provision whispering through the years.
God’s quiet work today
That same quiet work is often how the Lord works in our churches, and part of the goal of the BCUK Church-based Intern Scheme (which I have the privilege of overseeing) is to adjust the viewfinders to spot how God is on the move.
We often long for change to happen in big ways. A Real Change course resulting in ten new but experienced people wanting to get involved in pastoral care. A dramatic growth in the quality of conversations in small groups after one night of training. That messy pastoral situation resolved overnight. We praise God when this does happen!
But part of the Intern Scheme experience is learning to look for the quiet ways God has been at work too. It’s about noticing when that prayer request was that bit more personal and honest. That conversation which went one or two questions deeper beyond just the weather. That one step of obedience in that messy pastoral situation. That one act of faith by someone with chronic suffering. It’s not because God can’t or won’t work in ‘big’ ways – we just don’t want to miss all he is up to in our churches.
This is an important task for every Intern because the Scheme is just two years long. The growth it’s about won’t be completed until Christ comes again and sanctification is complete. Looking back and looking around to see how God is on the move, even in the less-than-obvious ways, fuels hope and encouragement when big change feels slow.
An invitation to quiet work
We can all be people who spot God’s quiet work. All of us can participate in that quiet work of interpersonal ministry week by week. For some, maybe developing skills in that work would be a good next step for you in the coming year. The Intern Scheme exists to support individuals who have completed the BCUK Certificate Programme, and are keen to further develop their conversational skills and equip their wider church family in wise one-anothering.
If you feel you or someone else in your church family might be a good fit for the Intern Scheme, why not ask the Lord whether it might be suitable for your church family? And, whether the scheme is the right fit or not, why not ask the Lord to help you see his quiet work in the life of your local church?
Applications for the September 2025 intake will open on 1 January 2025 and close on 7 March 2025. If you have completed the Certificate Programme and are keen to find out more about these internships, you can read more here or get in touch at . In addition to individuals who may hold voluntary roles within their churches, we also welcome applicants who are already employed by their churches in ministry roles as the Scheme fits around existing responsibilities.
1 Davis, D.R. (2000) 1 Samuel: Looking on the heart. Fearn: Christian Focus, pp.29-31.