And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for Thy servant heareth. 1 Samuel 3:10
The children in a small daycare centre told the woman caring for them that they wanted to cross the street and play on the swings and other toys in the empty lot that was there. So the woman carefully herded the children across the street and watched as they began to play. She had done this before with no problems. But this day, two of the boys decided to leave the other group and explore a ravine that was on the edge of the property. Concerned for their safety, the woman ordered the boys to return. But they ignored her and continued down into the ravine. Again she called them to come back, but they paid no attention. So the woman went after them, seizing them by the collars, and dragging them back to the play area. And she made them sit on a bench for several minutes. When they questioned why they had to sit there, the woman replied, ‘You won’t listen to me. So you will sit there until you do.’ Not listening; it’s a common problem with children, as any parent will confirm. And it’s a common problem with adults, too. That’s why accidents happen, why crimes are committed, why relationships are broken, why mistakes of all kinds are made, why students fail tests and exams. There can be a heavy price to pay for not listening. But there can be great rewards for listening, especially if we listen to the Lord.
Some Bible scholars tell us that Samuel was not yet into his teens when the event in 1 Samuel 3 took place. We can’t be sure, but we know he was young. And we also know he was open to being called and to obeying orders. When he mistakenly thought Eli had called him, he came running. Three times! And when Eli gave him instructions, he obeyed those instructions. That is the kind of Christian that the Lord gives instructions to today, as well. Like Samuel, we don’t need to be old or even experienced to receive directions from the Lord. We just need to be willing. Samuel was willing. Are we?
The way the Lord’s call to Samuel occurred is not something that you or I will likely ever experience. To have God audibly speak at our bedside is not something that we should ever expect. But He will speak to us. He does it through His Word. We read our Bibles and we learn more about God. We read to correct our errant behaviour, to improve our Christian character, to receive comfort, encouragement, and hope. But do we also read it to obtain directions for our day and for our lives? Do we plan our activities, our careers, our moves large and small with God’s Word in mind? When we pray for God to bless our activities, do we also ask Him to direct our activities according to His will and not our own?
Like Samuel, we are the Lord’s servants. That means when He speaks, we are to hear, and to heed. – Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/J7mJft9dWg4