1 Samuel 3:1-18
Learning to Listen

The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel.

Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."

But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.

Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."

"My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

The LORD called Samuel a third time, 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. 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.

The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"

Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family--from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.' "

Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son."

Samuel answered, "Here I am."

"What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you." So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes."

New International Version

Set aside the historical contexts of Eli and his family, and who Samuel would become, and observe the persistence of God trying to be heard. Eli had resisted what God had been saying over the years, and the ungodly behavior of his sons was evidence of Eli's own disobedience. God would be heard, so God spoke to the boy, Samuel, who was living in the temple with Eli. It even took God several times to get Samuel's attention!

God never stops trying to speak with us. When God has a message for us, God will try any number of ways to get out attention, including words from friends or strangers, events around us, and even silence. We have the amazing opportunity to listen, and we owe our Creator our homage of listening.



God, we treasure the personal relationship You have with each one of us. Our souls need your presence with us like our bodies need water to drink and air to breathe. We need to listen to your words of guidance, of comfort, of love. Teach us, too, dear Father, to listen to you.

When we want to hurry through our time with You, teach us to listen patiently. Teach us, God, that often Your message for us, the message we so desperately need, is about waiting for You, and about submitting our lives to You.

When we wish You would simply answer our questions, teach us, instead, to listen for what You have to say. Teach us, God, that we don't always know the right questions to ask in coping with struggles in our lives, but that Your love for us will always work for Good when we listen to the instruction You have for us.

When we want to tell You, King of Heaven, what is best, teach us to listen instead. Remind us, loving Father, that Your knowledge and Your power, like Your love and Your goodness, have no limits. Discipline us, kind Shepherd, when our rebellion leads us away from You.

When we don't feel worthy of Your time, when we know we have separated ourselves from You, and we don't know why You even bother with us, teach us to listen anyway. Teach us that Your voice constantly reaches to us and calls us to come back home. Remind us, Redeemer, that You know every one of our sins and failings, and You died for us anyway.

When we, like Eli and Samuel, are afraid to hear the messages You have for us, teach us to listen with courage. We are frightened, God, by the evil around us and inside us, and sometimes the only way we will have the strength even just to listen is for You to give us that strength. In Your perfect grace, draw us close. Nurture our frail faith in You so we can trust Your way for us, no matter how difficult it appears, and no matter how Your plans clash with our short-sighted goals.

You call us, like You called Your disciples in Gethsemane, to wait, to pray, and to listen. We, like them, struggle and succumb to our weaknesses, but in Your infinite patience, keep teaching us to listen. Amen.