Listening

It was night, and Samuel was all alone, laying in the temple, falling asleep. Still just a boy, he was privileged to have been dedicated to the Lord, and was under the tutelage of Eli the priest. We can imagine the experiences he must have had. All that Eli must have taught him. Yet nothing prepared him for that special night.

In the stillness of the darkness, he heard a voice. Concluding that Eli must have been calling him, he demonstrated his eagerness to respond, running to Eli, saying “Here I am, for you called me.” But sounding almost irritated, Eli said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So Samuel returned to his designated spot.

Then he heard the voice again. Again he ran to Eli, who responded in the same way: “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” Samuel returned to his familiar spot, probably confused. He had not imagined the voice, yet Eli firmly denied speaking to him.

Then he heard the voice calling again. Again he ran to Eli, who finally seemed to realize what was happening. He “discerned that the Lord was calling the boy.” So he instructed Samuel to lie down again. “And it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’”

This time, when God spoke, Samuel knew how to respond. This moment began his personal relationship with God. He learned to be sensitive to God’s voice. To listen. To be ready to listen.

Like Samuel, we all need to realize that God is present with us, all the time. That He wants to communicate with us. Like Samuel, He might even speak to us in the quiet of the night. When no one else is around.