1 Samuel 3:10 “The Lord came and stood there, calling as the other times, “Samuel, Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening”.
The story of Samuel being called by God for the first time is a very powerful one. Although Samuel was very young and he didn’t know God (although he knew church), God still chose Samuel, as is, to be the one to speak such a life changing prophecy to Eli.
With Samuel being so young and inexperienced, I wonder how ill-equipped and frightened he must have felt. I try to imagine how Samuel must have felt that this couldn’t be real. But it was real, and against all fear and doubt, Samuel obeyed God and became one of the most powerful and important Prophets of the bible.
Sunday, I shared how I wondered why God chose to call Samuel at night... while all was quiet, all was dark and the work of the Lord had already been done. The dark is already scary and uncomfortable enough as is. Why add on the fear of hearing voices in the dark? But God knew that in the still of the night, away from all the distractions, Samuel would clearly hear his voice. As Dr. Carr states, “Blind people tend to have an increased ability to hear clearly and accurate. Without the benefit of vision, the ears tend to hear most sound with great clarity and accuracy.”
Many of us are in a dark situation and can’t quite see what God is doing in our lives. We may not see the purpose right now, but maybe God has positioned us in this place of darkness to better hear from Him. He knows that if we see what He is planning, it may scare us or send us off course, but without the benefit of vision, we stand in a position of readiness to be able to clearly hear from God.
The call of God is just one step to hearing from him. We also have to be willing to answer. When God called Samuel, He simply called his name and waited for Samuel to answer. He could have just started talking to Samuel to deliver His call, but God desires a willing heart to answer the call and listen.
Is God calling you today? Is He calling you from a dark place, but your fears and doubts are keeping you from hearing from him? Is He calling you to learn to know and trust His voice, even when you can’t see His hand in your life? God is calling us all to a purpose according to His plan. Though it may seem scary and you may feel ill-equipped to handle the task, know that God is a God of provision, love and abundance. He has everything you need in the palm of his hand to help you to answer His call. All you have to do is trust him. Allow God to initiate prayer with your heart and soul so that He may lead you to your purpose and his glory, as you pray powerfully as Samuel did, “Speak, for your servant is listening!”
Heavenly Father I thank you for loving me enough to call me by name. God help me to learn and know your voice in the midst of dark times, so that I may hear from you, clearly. In Jesus name, Amen
By: Min April Carter
