Patti Burris

1 Samuel 3:1-10

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. ² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The 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. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And 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. ⁶ Again 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.” ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. ⁸ A 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. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Samuel did not know the Lord, but he was still willing to listen. I have a relationship with the Lord, and yet I still do not always listen when He speaks to me. Why is that? Why don’t I listen? Why do I waste my time fumbling through life, when I would be so much better off if I would listen when God speaks? I have found that there are three main reasons that we don’t hear God:

1. Physical Busyness– We live in a time where we are always on the go. Our days and nights are jam packed with activity and we are so focused on the next thing on our to-do list that we miss the voice of God. Is there an activity or two that you would be willing to give up to make more room for quiet time with God?
2. Mental Preoccupation– When we aren’t physically running around trying to check things off our to-do list, we are mentally writing tomorrow’s to-do list and thinking about what is to come in the future. Even on the rare occasions when we find ourselves at rest, our minds are still going a mile a minute. What can you do to quiet your mind enough to hear the Lord speak?
3. A Closed Heart– There are times when we are so set on having our own way that we refuse to hear God’s voice. We can get so caught up in our own agenda that we forget that God knows what is best for us. God speaks, we simply refuse to listen. What can you do to focus more on what God says, rather than on what you want?

I have no excuse for not listening to the voice of the Lord. I am challenging myself this year to slow down, quiet my mind and open my heart to what the Lord has to say to me. I don’t want to miss out on what God has in store for me because I refused to listen. I sincerely believe that God does still speak to His children. We simply need to be still enough and be willing enough to listen. When God speaks my name, I want my answer to be, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” 

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