Reading: And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. 1 Samuel 3:10

 

Samuel was born as the result of the fervent prayers of his mother. For years Hannah had suffered the indignity of being childless and it must have seemed that her hopes would never be realized, but she continued to pray. 

In due course her prayers were answered, and the son she had so desperately sought for was granted. Samuel was so named because he had been asked of God, and true to her vow, Hannah dedicated him to the Lord. After Samuel was weaned, his mother took him to the temple and left him to serve God. He was just a child among grown men, but from his earliest days Samuel showed a willingness to remain in the temple. It was there that he first met with God. At the close of the day God drew near to him and called him by name. Samuel did not know the Lord at that time, but he came to understand the call of God, and when God came the fourth time and called him by name, Samuel responded, “Speak; for thy servant heareth.”

God’s call that night was an effectual call in grace. He knew Samuel and was calling him to Himself. Samuel’s response revealed his regenerated heart. He gladly humbled himself before God and took the servant’s place, ready to be guided, directed, and commissioned. God was the sovereign ruler and Samuel the submissive believer. There were other, older men in the temple at that time, Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, but they had no heart to serve God. Samuel was different. Though just a young boy he was by grace made willing to serve God. This child’s prayer is never out of place in a believer’s life. We need to hear God speak and we need to do as God commands. Are we willing to say, “Speak, for thy servant heareth?”

“Consecrate yourself anew this day to your Master’s service.” C. H. Spurgeon

Taken from A Word in Season edited by Alan Cairns, 2010. Used by permission.