“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.” — 1 Samuel 3:9
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Hannah was barren for years until a desperate prayer reached the heart of a mighty God who opened her womb. She prayed with eager expectation for a child she would willingly give up in service to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:27-28).
Samuel was the promised believer set apart from birth and launched into service from the womb. Samuel spent his days serving under Eli the priest, and spent his nights sleeping next to the ark of God — in the tabernacle of the Lord. And at an early age, God began to call to him out of necessity, because the current leadership was corrupt and inadequate.
One night as Samuel slept, the Lord called him three times. Samuel ran to Eli for answers each time because he didn’t recognize who was calling him. When we are unfamiliar with the voice of God, we will respond to Him by running back to the familiar. Eventually, Eli realized it was God calling, so he gave Samuel instructions on how to respond (1 Samuel 3:9-10).
Hearing, receiving and pursuing truth is about presence — being in the presence of God or near those who understand it. In 1 Samuel 3:7, Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the Word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him, so Eli stepped in to provide clarity for what would happen next.
Sometimes pursuing truth takes assistance in identifying truth.
— Fleceia Comeaux, NWSL’s Houston Dash Co-Chaplain
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