Speak, for your servant is listening

Possibly all of us have ever heard the great story of the prophet Samuel, that son who was born to Hannah, that woman who was sterile and God worked in a powerful way in the life of this woman. Samuel was dedicated to God from his childhood and was always in the temple. His story is magnificent also because we can see how God’s purpose is fulfilled above all things, because at that time the Word of God was scarce in the people of Israel and God would raise a man, a great prophet, and that man was Samuel, that inoffensive child who was in the temple serving God.

Let’s review this story a little through a few verses:

3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

1 Samuel 3:3-7

At that moment when God began to deal directly with little Samuel, he did not know the voice of God, since His Word had not been revealed to him, and Samuel thought that it was Eli who was speaking to him and was hurrying to Eli and he asked: Why did you call me? And he asked the same question a few more times, but Eli answered him: “I have not called.”

The third time Samuel did the same, Eli realized that the Lortd was calling the boy and gave him the following instructions:

9 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.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

1 Samuel 3:9-10

This time the child Samuel already knew who was being called and it was God himself. And he responded to the Lord: “Speak, for your servant hears.” We must also be ready to listen to the Word of God, we must be ready to respond to His call. In that time of scarcity of the Word, God raised Samuel as a great prophet in Israel and in the same way God has called us to be militants of His Word and we must always be attentive to hear the voice of God.

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