Speak, Lord, I am Listening
The Lord came and stood there and called as he had the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)
When Hannah prayed for God to give her a son, she promised to dedicate him to the Lord. After Samuel was weaned, she brought him to serve in the temple permanently. He served as Eli, the priest’s assistant. But Eli’s sons were wicked and greedy. They would take the best parts of the sacrifices, rather than waiting for the portion that God had assigned for the priests. And so God was not revealing his word to them or giving them prophetic visions.
Samuel was not familiar with the presence of the Lord. He did not know what the Lord’s call sounded like. He thought that Eli was calling him. When Eli realized that the Lord was calling Samuel, he told him how to answer the Lord. Samuel went on to be the Lord’s prophet in Israel, who anointed Saul and David.
God doesn’t call us in a way that we hear it with our ears anymore. Instead, he calls us through his Word. Through his Word, the Spirit works faith in us that answers God’s call to be his servants. When we listen to God’s Word, we hear God speaking to us, telling us what his will for us is. We hear him tell us that he has made us worthy to be in his presence through Jesus. He calls us to be his children. Continue to hear God’s Word and listen to his good and perfect will. Amen.
Our song for today is “Speak To Me” by Dave Lubben