Listening and Obeying

Scripture: The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The LORD came and stood there, calling as as the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." (Samuel 3:8-10)

One great thing we must all be grateful for is that God doesn't call us a couple times and when we don't answer, give up! He keeps calling our name, "tapping us on our shoulder" in order to give guidance and direction. The LORD called Samuel three times. He may have kept on calling him, we will never know! But in this instance, God gave Eli the wisdom to tell Samuel what to do.

If you've been a Christian for long, and you're reading this, you know at times, God will use other people to speak His word into our lives. What's amazing to me is that He will sometimes use our closest Christian friends, and other times, he may use a stranger who is just passing through an airport, or someone you happen to share a class with or you see in church one time.

Another thing I take away from this passage is the importance of having mature believers close to us as we walk in our faith to help guide, interpret and encourage us in our walk. Mature believers in our lives are essential to our spiritual growth, as Eli was to Samuel for a season. It has been my experience, as it was Samuel's, that God often brings people to cross our paths for a lesson or two, and as we grow and learn, He will remove that person from our lives as we learn all we can from that individual. Then He brings another mature believer to cross our paths to learn something else.

Eli told Samuel exactly what to do, the next time he heard his name being called. And Samuel did as he was instructed. When we choose to really listen to the LORD - can YOU say to Him: "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening"? Can YOU say those words to Him? We have no idea what He's going to say, what direction he's going to take us in. Are you really ready to hear what he has to say to you? And then, are you ready to obey Him immediately? Or will you put Him off because of fear?

The Christian walk isn't an easy one. Unlike the military, God isn't a drill instructor who yells at us, and in fear, we jump and do as He commands. But like obedient soldiers, we should jump - not in fear, but in love and reverence, knowing He only wants the best for us. It's something we should all prepare our hearts for.

Prayer request: Pray for those who know they've been hearing God's voice, but haven't quite come to terms with responding to it. Pray also for those who want to hear His voice and haven't lately.

Prayer: Lord, we come to you humbly and ask You to help each of us hear Your voice, and to confidently stand before You and say those words: "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." We know You want only what is best for us, help us to be obedient to Your promptings. For those who have not heard from You in a while, we ask You to open their ears and prepare their hearts to respond when they finally do. Amen