Speak, Lord!

All was quiet in the temple and only an occasional snore would echo through the silence.

Then suddenly, “Samuel, Samuel!” a voice called. A boy stirred sleepily and rubbed his eyes.

“Coming, sir!” he yawned as he jumped up and ran to an old man's bedside. “Here I am sir,” he cried, eagerly.

The old man slowly pulled himself up and looked at the boy quizzically. “I didn’t call for you Samuel, go back to your bed.”

Samuel reluctantly obeyed and tiptoed through the darkness, back to his bed to sleep.

Again, Samuel heard his name called, and again, he rushed to the priest’s room to see what he could do to help the old man. But as before, Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”

Then it happened a third time. “Samuel, Samuel!” The voice called.
Samuel sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes in confusion.

“C-coming sir!” Samuel said bewilderedly as he ran to Eli’s room. “I’m sure you must have called me!” He exclaimed.

Eli gazed at the little boy standing before him. Then it dawned on him. Slowly and solemnly he said, “Samuel, if you hear your name called again, say ‘speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.’”

Samuel quietly walked back to his bed and laid down again. This time, he listened eagerly for the voice to call his name again.

“Samuel!” The boy listened in wonder as the voice echoed through the temple.

“Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth!” He said softly.

Just as God spoke to Samuel long ago, God still speaks to us, today! It isn’t always an audible voice, but God loves to talk with us! A few of the many ways He talks to us are through nature, through the blessings He gives us, through his servants, and through our thoughts. He speaks to us through His word and He speaks to us when we commune with Him in prayer.

Ellen White says, “Prayer is the channel of communication between our souls and God. God speaks to us through His word; we respond to Him through our prayers, and He always listens to us. We cannot weary or burden Him by our frequent heart to heart communications.” Pr 1.2

Not only will He talk to us, but He will listen when we talk to Him! As we read the Bible, as we pray, and as we go through life, let’s listen for God’s voice. When we feel that God is trying to say something to us, let’s say with Samuel, “speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.”

-Hannah