1 Samuel 3:7-11 (NIV)
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.
Does the Lord speak to you? Are you listening well enough so that you would know if He did? 1 Kings 19 says “And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” That whisper was God speaking to Elijah. He also speaks to you. Did you hear it? He said He loves you. He said you mean everything to Him. He said He will always be with you. He said He has plans to prosper you.
Samuel was pledged to the Lord by his mother Hannah. He was an intern to Eli the Priest. The Lord decided to reveal Himself to Samuel and called to him. It was not a great profession of who God is but a still small voice. If God had shown up in all His Glory, Samuel would have been terrified. Instead, the fact is the Lord “came and stood there”. God revealed Himself to Samuel quietly because He had great plans for Samuel. The new thing He would do is to have Samuel anoint a poor shepherd boy, David, to be the next king of Israel. And through the line of David, the Christ would be born. But first, Samuel had to hear the call.
Do you hear God’s call on your life? I have heard His voice a few times. It was a whisper. When I was in Honduras, He said “Trust Me!” My friend Helen heard “I am all around you.” My friend Linda heard “It’ll be OK.” I put those together as “Trust Me! I am all around you. It’ll be OK!” and try to live my life in peace believing in Him. He is my strength and shield.
Few people are willing to admit that God has spoken to them. They say that they get strange looks from others if they mention the encounter. I have spoken with many privately who tell of hearing God. I plan to interview them and write a book about hearing God. Maybe, if we spent more time listening to Him, our world would be a brighter and safer place. Ask these questions of the Lord and see if He does not answer you. What would you have me do? To whom do You wish me to speak through me? How can I share Your love with others? Speak Lord, for Your servants listen!
Lord, speak to us Lord in our daily lives. Make Yourself known in all the small things we do. Guide us in the way we should go. Lead us to the people to whom You wish to speak through our lives today! In Your name we pray! Amen!