pon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life." And so after Samuel's birth we find him in the house of Eli, where Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. One night after both Eli and Samuel had gone to bed, the Lord called out to Samuel. But in those days hearing from God was not common. And Samuel did not yet know the Lord. So he thought Eli had called him. Because Eli was not used to hearing from the Lord either, he may have thought Samuel just had an active imagination, so sent him back to bed. After the Lord called Samuel for the third time, and Samuel went to Eli again, Eli then realized that it was the Lord who was calling. So Eli told Samuel what he needed to do, teaching him how to respond, using the words, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Without Eli, Samuel may have missed God's call. When God called the fourth time, Samuel was ready, and responded, as instructed, with the words, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Today God speaks to us. It's important that we're listening for God to speak. We don't have to be called to be a pastor for God to talk to us and call us. We're all called to be ministers. What ministry is God calling you to? God talks to all of us and has plans for all of us. Sometimes we resist God's message -- we're not always ready to hear. And sometimes we have worries or anxieties about God's call. But the best advice is this: just do what Eli told Samuel to do. Simply respond, "I am here, Lord. Speak, for your servant is listening."
Gene Kelsey, Director of Christian Education
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