This is the account of the call of one of God’s great prophets, Samuel. In chapter 3 he is about 12 years old, according to the Jewish Talmud. Hannah had given her son back to the Lord at about the age of 2, leaving him to be raised in the tabernacle at Shiloh as she had promised God. After 10 years growing up under the elderly chief priest Eli, God called Samuel. Samuel at first thought it was Eli calling him, but Eli realized it was God\u2019s voice. Eli gave Samuel great advice, and anyone trying to serve God could benefit from following it too. When God speaks, in any way, we should simply respond with these same words: \u201cSpeak, for Your servant hears.\u201d \u201cBut,\u201d you say, \u201cGod doesn’t speak to me that clearly.\u201d No, He doesn’t speak that clearly to most of us. He usually speaks through other people and His Word, the Scripture. So when we read something that strikes a chord in our hearts or we hear someone speak of God and it seems to be \u201cspeaking directly to us,\u201d we should whisper this silent pray as Eli suggested.<\/p>\n
There is a great old story about learning how to listen. A Native American and his friend were in downtown New York City, walking near Times Square, during the noon lunch hour. The streets were filled with people, cars were honking, taxicabs were squealing around corners, and sirens were wailing; the sounds of the city were almost deafening. The Native American suddenly said, \u201cI hear a cricket.\u201d His friend exclaimed, \u201cWhat? You must be crazy. You couldn\u2019t possibly hear a cricket in all this noise!\u201d The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big, cement planter. He looked into the bushes and sure enough located a small cricket. His friend was amazed. \u201cThat\u2019s incredible. You must have super-human ears!\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the Native American. \u201cMy ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you\u2019re listening for.\u201d \u201cBut that can\u2019t be!\u201d said his friend. \u201cI could never hear a cricket in this noise.\u201d \u201cHere, let me show you,\u201d he replied. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. With the noise of the crowded street still blaring, every head within 20 feet turned to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs. \u201cSee what I mean?\u201d asked the Native American. \u201cIt all depends on what you\u2019re listening for.\u201d If we are tuned in to hear God, we can hear Him speak in spite of all the distracting things around us.<\/p>\n
“LORD, please give us ears to hear and hearts of submission, willing to obey this day.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Samuel 3 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0And the child Samuel ministered unto the\u00a0LORD\u00a0before Eli. And the word of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0was precious in those days;\u00a0there was\u00a0<\/em>no open vision.\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass at that time, when Eli\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim,\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>he could not see;\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the\u00a0LORD, where the ark of God\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>, and Samuel was laid down\u00a0to sleep;\u00a0<\/em>4<\/sup>\u00a0That the\u00a0LORD\u00a0called Samuel: and he answered, Here\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>I.\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0Now Samuel did not yet know the\u00a0LORD, neither was the word of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0yet revealed unto him.\u00a0\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the\u00a0LORD\u00a0had called the child.\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak,\u00a0LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. 11<\/sup> And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0In that day I will perform against Eli all\u00a0things<\/em>which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.\u00a0\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.\u00a0\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli\u2019s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. 15<\/sup>\u00a0And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the\u00a0LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>I.\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0And he said, What\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>the thing that\u00a0the\u00a0LORD\u00a0<\/em>hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide\u00a0any\u00a0<\/em>thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.\u00a0 19<\/sup>\u00a0And Samuel grew, and the\u00a0LORD\u00a0was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>established\u00a0to be<\/em>a prophet of the\u00a0LORD.\u00a0\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0appeared again in Shiloh: for the\u00a0LORD\u00a0revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the\u00a0LORD.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is the account of the call of one of God’s great prophets, Samuel. In chapter 3 he is about 12 years old, according to the Jewish Talmud. Hannah had given her son back to the Lord at about the age of 2, leaving him to be raised in the tabernacle at Shiloh as she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6421"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6421"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16120,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6421\/revisions\/16120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}