Your Servant is Listening

Tuesday - September 28th

Scripture to Read Today: 1 Samuel 3:1-21

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The Lord came and stood there,

calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"

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

1 Samuel 3:10

Eli was already old when the future prophet Samuel went to live and serve with the high priest. When Eli died, his sons were expected to take over the priesthood, but they had no desire to serve God.

God took notice when Samuel arrived at the tabernacle. Samuel's mother had promised since he was born to bring him to the temple so he might serve God. God knew this and was waiting for the ideal opportunity to speak to Samuel in a way He couldn't with Eli or his sons.

Samuel mistook Eli for God when he was awakened in the middle of the night and heard a voice calling his name. He got up right away because he was used to complying. This happened three times before Eli realized that God was trying to communicate with the boy. So he urged Samuel to say, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening" if he heard the voice again (1 Samuel 3).

God had a vital mission for Samuel to complete that night when He spoke to him; a test to verify his faithfulness. Due to the nature of the message, Samuel was terrified to tell Eli what God had said (1 Samuel 3:15). But because Eli was eager to hear it, Samuel told him what God had said. He shared God's plan to carry out His promised judgment against Eli and his sons and establish Samuel as the High Priest and a prophet for God's people.

The story of the young boy Samuel hearing God's call in the middle of the night has been one of my favorite Bible stories since I was a child. There is something so sweet and spiritually simple about the boy's reply to the call of God. It was a response taught to him by the elderly High Priest, Eli. "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening."

Oh, that all of us would listen to God the same way Samuel did. As we seek to hear from God through His Word and His Spirit, we need the invitational attitude of the young boy dedicated to serving God. We need to say, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening." When we have such an attitude, God will speak to us. He will meet us in those moments when we need to hear from Him.

Each day this week, as you spend time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer, simply begin your time by saying, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening."

Part of practicing the spiritual discipline of listening is opening our ears, minds, and hearts to hear from Him.