Scripture:
I Samuel 3:1-10 NKJV
[1] Now, the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. [2] And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, [3] and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, [4] that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” [5] So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down. [6] Then the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call my son; lie down again.” [7] (Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.) [8] And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. [9] Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. [10] Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”
Observation:
I’m not sure if you know, though. But Samuel was the son of Hannah, who had prayed to the LORD that if HE would take away her disgrace as a woman and allow her to mother a child. She would dedicate him to the service of the LORD. So the LORD opened her womb, and she bore Samuel. The first of several children after him. Hannah did exactly as she said she was going to. After Samuel was born, she gave him to the LORD. We picked up our story in the first few years of Samuel’s service to a high priest named Eli. Who was on the older side of life? His vision was starting to fail him, but he was still serving in the timple. Samuel was asleep in a room down the hall when he woke up, hearing someone call his name. He makes a simple statement here, I am getting out of bed and going down the hall to where Eli was, thinking Eli was the one calling him. Eli was probably tired from a long day and knew that it was not he who had called Samuel, so he gave the young boy instructions to go back to bed. But it just didn’t stop. As Samuel lay back down, he heard his name again. Before we move too far, I want to revisit verse 1. The Bible says Samuel ministered to the LORD, but more importantly, what the bible says after that I believe to be something we need to hear, ” the word of the LORD was rare in those days, there was no whispered revelation.” So, looking at what is happening to Samuel at this point, we can see that it’s a rear event. The second time, Samuel heard the voice of the LORD calling him. His response was the same as the first time, running to Eli and saying Here I am… only to get the same response from Eli. Now I want us to notice what is said right after Samuel was told to go back to bed the second time, “Samuel did not yet know the LORD nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.” As he lay back down the second time. The call of his name was consistent, along with his response to it. Finally, Eli picked up on what exactly was going on and told Samuel, “The next time it happens, respond directly to the LORD. Tell HIM here I am, your servant, hear you. Samuel did just that, and a relationship was born. Samuel would be the prophet who spoke for the LORD when Saul, the first king of Israel, was placed in his position. He served the LORD for many years and played a critical role in the transition from the biblical judges to the united kingdoms of Israel.
Application:
It’s hard to understand sometimes when it’s happening. For me, I had to hear it from several people over a long period of time. It literally took years for me to understand that GOD was calling me. But I’m pretty hard-headed. Here is what I believe, and I’m sure that this is how it works. If you have heard Jesus drawing you into a relationship with HIM, then GOD has called you for a purpose. Now that may not mean that you are speaking from a pulpit. It may mean that you are speaking to the person next to you in line at Walmart… or work for all that matters. This is what I know: GOD calls us out by name. HE hand-picks us for a specific purpose, that HE has given us very detailed DNA to perform, and at just the right time in your life, you will hear GOD saying, Mark, or Chris, or Eric, or Sara, or Lori what ever your name might be. But here is the key: when you hear it, respond. As for me, my name might as well have been Jonah. Because when I heard the LORD call me out by name in the Penitentiary at the age of 19. Like Samuel, I did not yet know HIM and was very confused by what had happened. So I ran. The Bible explains what happens when that is our response to the LORD calling us by name. My attempt with this SOAP today is to save you from a lot of heartache…. when you hear GOD calling, respond with Here I am, LORD your servant hears you. It will save you a lot of unnecessary scars. One of the ways that wisdom was explained to me years ago was this. It’s the ability to learn from someone else’s mistakes. As a young boy, Samuel heard the voice of the LORD and committed his life to serving HIM. After years of being beaten down by my own stupid decisions. I finally surrendered to GOD’S will. How it happens is up to you… Either way… GOD is calling and HE just won’t stop. HIS love for you is relentless. HE will pursue you to the ends of the earth. So just submit and follow HIS plan. It is the easier, softer way.
Prayer:
Father, here we are. You know our names because you have called us… You have called some of us out of the dark because we didn’t listen the first time, and you are calling some of us before we experience any of that kind of trauma. All we are asking this morning is that you allow us to hear you and respond in the proper manner. Some of us may just want the pain to stop, and some of us may never want to experience that pain. Either way, LORD, right here in this very moment, what we are saying is… here I am, your servant hears you. Show us the next step. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.