Speak Lord, I Am Listening

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (NLT) 3:1 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. 2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. 4 Suddenly the LORD called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” 5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. 6 Then the LORD called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” 7 Samuel did not yet know the LORD because he had never had a message from the LORD before. 8 So the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the boy. 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. 10 And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

I think most people identify with this story in one way or another. We have all found ourselves in a place where God was trying to speak to us but we weren’t listening. Sometimes we are distracted with other things. Perhaps, it could be that we, like Samuel, have not trained ourselves to hear the voice of the Lord. It also might be because of sin in our life that we don’t want to deal with. Whatever the reason – we should know that God is wanting to speak to us and wanting us to hear his voice. It’s interesting – when Samuel final said, “Speak, your servant is listening” that God actually had something to say to Him. I am praying for God to speak to me in a fresh and new way and that I wouldn’t do anything to hinder his voice in my life, however quiet it might be. Speak Lord, your servant is listening.