And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
Attentive Ear. Samuel
had an ear that listened to the Lord. We see evidence of this listening
ear when he was working with Eli the priest. The Lord called Samuel in
his sleep three times and each time Samuel responded by going to Eli and
saying, "Here I am; for you called me." Eli's response to Samuel the
first two times essentially was "Go back to bed Samuel, I did not call
you." We know that Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him.
Eli recognizes that the Lord is calling Samuel the third time and tells
Samuel to go back to bed but instructs him to respond to the Lord by
saying, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening."
Awaited Call. Samuel did
just as Eli instructed and when the Lord called the fourth time, Samuel
responded with an attitude of submission and a willing heart. It is at
this time of listening to the Lord and responding that Samuel receives
his call to ministry.
Are We Ready and Listening?
Anticipated Wonder. Three points to remember:
1. The Lord did not inform Samuel at this point all that He was
going to do through him.
2. Often, if we have a listening ear, the
Lord reveals His plan for us in 'bits and pieces' and we are left in
anticipated wonder.
3. It is the Lord's call that affirms our purpose and determines our
steps.
We
too, like Samuel can follow the Lord's leading with anticipated wonder
as we watch Him work and allow Him to fill in the details of our lives during and after college! Are we ready and listening?