And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.
And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
(1 Sam 3:1-10 KJV)
Three times the Lord called out to Samuel. But, Samuel did not recognize the voice until Eli told him that it was the Lord trying to speak with him.
How often does the Lord speak to us and we do not hear him? Too much noise; too many distractions; too much of everything going on to be still and listen to Him? Maybe you don't listen for His voice because you don't believe that He will actually talk to people in this day and age.
Praying is not just about telling God what your "give me this list" is. It is not just about thanking him. It is both of those things. But, it is also about listening to Him; listening for God to whisper your name and to affirm that He truly loves you and is with you.
There's a lot of prophecy flying around on the internet these days. I've heard many "prophets" say the Lord told me this or that is going to happen. It can be difficult to know what is real prophecy from God and what is not. I haven't really seen much, if any, of it come to fruition. The word of the Lord, coming to us in the form of prophecy, does not usually tell us what is going to happen as many of these prophets have been telling us. Prophecy, the word of the Lord, does not work like a fortune teller; it is not like a crystal ball. He does not tell us the future, especially not in full detail. He has given us free will, so the future can change. As in the days of Jonah, prophecy is most often a warning that there will be consequences if we don't change our ways; if we don't repent of whatever it is that we are doing that we ought not be doing.
God does speak to us. He speaks to us through the word found in the Holy Scriptures. He speaks to us through others who know Him. He speaks to us in the stillness of our hearts. But, we can't hear that voice unless we slow down and listen. A little warning here... Have you noticed that many of the prophecies have done nothing more than cause you to be a bit or a lot anxious about the future? The devil and his minions have no problem with pretending that they are the Lord speaking to you. Make sure the whisper that you hear is from the Lord and not some other entity trying to stir up trouble and that the word you hear is supported by the word found in the Holy Scriptures.
In the darkness and the quiet of his room Samuel heard the voice of God call to him. May God help us to change our ways and take the time in prayer to really be still and ask Him to "Speak Lord, for your servant listens." Then listen! Listen to His promise that He loves you and is with you always to comfort and guide you in the way of our Lord Jesus the Christ.
God's Peace - Pr. J.
