Grandpa appeared at the bedroom door to look in on the two little girls. “I’ve told you twice already,” he said to my young daughter and her cousin, tucked up together in a double bed for their overnight sleepover. “You need to be quiet and go to sleep.”
“But she keeps on talking,” my daughter protested.
Her cousin shot back, “That’s because she keeps on listening.”
The young boy Samuel kept on listening too. He’d been learning to serve God in the tabernacle but hadn’t encountered Him personally (v. 7). Not until the night he heard a voice calling his name. Samuel assumed it was his ageing mentor, Eli. But after three visits from the boy, Eli realised Samuel was hearing God and advised him what to do. So the next time Samuel heard the voice, he said, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (v. 10). Although the message was unpleasant to hear, Samuel obediently passed it on. In fact, he kept on listening to God, bringing His guidance and judgements to Israel, right into his old age.
When we long to hear God, Samuel’s words of welcome and obedience help focus our attention. They prompt us to still our thoughts and to listen as we start praying or reading Scripture. They can also help us to pause and pay attention to God through our day. Be encouraged that God will speak to you too.
By Anne Le Tissier
REFLECT & PRAY
How do good listeners you know inspire your own attentive listening to God? If you struggle to hear God’s voice, whom could you approach to help you nurture greater discernment?
Father, You have so much You want to say to me through prayer, Your word, circumstances and relationships. Please keep on speaking as I learn to listen and respond.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In the early chapters of 1 Samuel, the author is adept at using contrast to highlight the difference between the sons of Eli and Samuel. First Samuel 2:12 notes that “Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord” and “they slept with the women who served” as worship attendants (v. 22). Samuel, on the other hand, “continued to grow in stature and in favour with the Lord and with people” (v. 26). While Eli’s sons didn’t listen to their father’s rebuke ( v. 25), Samuel’s response to the Lord was, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (3:10).
Arthur Jackson
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