January 17
Verse of the Day for January 17
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 KJV
The Key of Beginnings · Day 17 of 31
Reflection · 4 min read
He Did Not Know Who Was Calling
The chapter opens with a line that explains everything after it: the word of the Lord was precious in those days, and there was no open vision. Precious meaning rare.
So when God calls Samuel by name, the boy assumes it is Eli. Three times. He is not being slow; he has never heard this before and has no category for it.
And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
What changes is not Samuel's hearing. It is that an old man tells him what to say if it happens again, and gives him one sentence: Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.
Two things are worth taking from that. The first is that recognising God's voice is learned, usually from somebody further along who has heard it before.
The second is that the sentence Eli teaches him is a posture, not a technique. It puts God in the position of speaking and Samuel in the position of listening, and it commits to the listening before the content arrives.
He heard it three times.He had no category for it.
If you have never been sure whether God has spoken to you, that is not evidence against you. Samuel had the same problem in the same room as the ark.
Learn the sentence. Say it before you know what the answer will be.
Carry this today
Have you committed to obey before you know the content?
Pray
Read 1 Samuel 3:1–10
1And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. 2And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; 3And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; 4That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. 5And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. 6And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. 7Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. 8And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. 9Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
Keep praying
Reflection by Collins Asein, from the daily devotionals in the PrayerKey app. Bible text: King James Version.