Ready to Listen?

Being a writer, I often find myself sitting at the computer trying to make something God is telling me make sense like a sentence. I want it to have a structure that I can understand with a subject, a verb, and properly placed prepositions. It can sometimes take me forever to write Rhema because I am trying to say what God is saying in a way that will encourage you or make you feel better. There are some days that just doesn’t work. Today is one of those days though I tried hard to make it work. God said to me, ‘just tell the story.’ Sounded so easy but it wasn’t! I just didn’t know what to do with what He was saying. I woke up with one line echoing in my head, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” I knew exactly where to find it in the Bible because I have read this passage many times before and actually pray it every week when preparing to write Rhema. Today, I heard it differently and I just wasn’t quite sure what was supposed to come next. I didn’t hear anything else. So I went to the story and read it again.

The line comes from 1 Samuel 3, where God first speaks to Samuel. It reads like this in the New Living Translation.   “One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed.  The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.  Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.  Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.  And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”  Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel.  I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end.  I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.” (1 Sam. 3: 2 – 14 NLT)

I meditated on this and waited for God to give me something. And what He said was pretty simple yet deep at the same time. This is what He said. “Are you listening out for Me to call your name? Are you expecting Me to speak and give you instruction or are you sleeping through it and letting My voice continue to go unrecognized? The solution to your issue cannot be found with man but instead, it can only be found in Me.”  Well, okay then, God! It was a strong word but it made me sit up and pay attention to the fact that God wants to be heard. He isn’t speaking for no reason. If you are one that has never heard from God or recognized His voice in the word, in your spirit, or even audibly, this does not give you an out. The text was very specific in noting that Samuel had never heard from the Lord before but once he knew, he acted and God took him to the next level. He trusted Samuel with a hard assignment and though afraid, Samuel followed through with it and God rewarded him with His presence. “As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.  And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.  The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.” (1 Sam 3: 19 -21 NLT)

God is speaking but He wants to know that you are listening. The Message translates the line as, “Speak, God. I’m your servant, ready to listen.” Are you ready to listen? It’s no longer acceptable to use tradition as an excuse. That’s not what they do at my church. My family will think I’m crazy if I say God told me. I’m too young, old, etc. This is important for your spiritual walk and your relationship. The trust factor that God has been highlighting for the last several weeks comes down to this. How can you trust a voice that you refuse to acknowledge? How can you go forward with an instruction that you can’t hear? God called out to Samuel three times before Eli explained to him that it was God. How many messages have you missed? Aren’t you tired of missing Him because you’ve been distracted by people, confusion, and things. So, I both challenge and encourage you to get in your secret place TODAY and meet with God.

You see what God is telling you might save someone’s life. It might change the direction that someone is walking in. What God told Samuel was difficult. He had to tell Eli that his family was going to be punished for all they had done and it couldn’t be stopped with a sacrifice or an offering. That’s hard! Eli was Samuel’s mentor and he loved him. But God had an assignment for Samuel that He wanted to make sure was heard. Eli accepted what Samuel shared and God ensured that people knew that Samuel was truly hearing from Him. You see, when God is speaking to you, you don’t have to be afraid to obey. He is going to cover and keep you.  When He tells you to speak, speak! When He tells you to be quiet, shut it!  If this is hard to read, trust me, I’m right there with you. I asked Him to speak and that I would listen so I also had to obey. This was my daily lesson in obedience. Saints, God is speaking to you and now He wants to know your response. I have a suggestion… “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

Amen.