Speak for your Servant is Listening

 3The 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. 4Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5And 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.

6Again 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.”

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

8A 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. 9So 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.

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

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

11And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,^a and he failed to restrain them.14Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ ” (1 Samuel 3)

Thoughts: This is truly one of the great passages.  Samuel was not expecting God to call.  God had not spoken to anyone like this in hundreds of years.  Many thought God had disappeared.  Eli was old and was not good at disciplining his sons.  Yet he still knew enough to know that God calls.  This is a reminder that we are to have listening ears.  Our call is to say and believe, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening." 
    In our day, we need God to speak, but we need to listen to what He has already said.  It has to be hard fro God to speak again when we are not listening to what He has already told us 

Prayer: Lord, speak to us that we may speak.  Give us listening ears to respond to you.