SCRIPTURE:
“A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” 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.”
1 Corinthians 3:8-9
OBSERVATION:
Samuel had yet to recognize the Lord’s voice and had mistaken it for Eli. Three times the Lord spoke to Samuel and three times he thought it was Eli. When Eli recognized what was going on, he gave Samuel wise counsel instructing him to wait on the Lord. If the Lord were to call on him again, he was to respond – “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
APPLICATION:
We all have that still small voice that speaks to us from time to time. Some people may disagree, but how often have we or someone we know said this – “Something told me not to do that,” right before making a mistake. I’ve jokingly told people that there are many names for God, but the name “Something” may be one of the more popular ones.
There have been times over the years when the Lord was speaking to me loud and clear, and I disregarded it. Like Samuel, thinking it was Eli, I began to think perhaps it wasn’t the Lord. Instead going in the direction I thought was best. This never worked out well for me and I ended up making extremely poor decisions that didn’t end well.
Eli’s instructions to Samuel could also be instructions for all of us . However, there’s another piece that we need to add on to it. While we should ask the Lord to speak as we are listening, we must ensure that we act in obedience to what He is saying to us.
PRAYER:
Father Almighty. Forgive me Lord for times when I have neglected Your still small voice speaking to me. Thank You Lord that You continue to speak to us. May I not only pause to hear Your voice, but that I would also obey, this I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
