Learning to Recognize the Voice

Here is something about Samuel's story that gets overlooked: God called him three times before he understood who was calling. Samuel was a boy serving in the temple, surrounded by holy things, and he still ran to Eli each time saying, "Here I am, you called me." He was willing and he was close. He just did not yet know what God's voice sounded like. If you feel unsure about your calling right now, it may help to know that confusion did not disqualify him. It was part of the process.

Notice what Eli does. He is not a perfect mentor, and the chapter makes that clear. But on the third time, he finally realizes what is happening and gives Samuel one simple instruction: go back, lie down, and if he calls again, say "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears." Eli does not tell Samuel what God will say. He only teaches him how to listen. I think that is what most of us need at this point in the semester, or this point in life. Not a five-year plan and not a perfectly worded mission statement, but a posture. Someone older and wiser pointing us back toward the quiet and saying, "Try listening."

Calling rarely arrives as a thunderclap. More often it sounds like the same quiet thing, coming back again and again. A person keeps crossing your mind. A need keeps bothering you. A passion refuses to fade, even after you tell yourself it is impractical. Samuel heard his name repeated, and it took a patient voice beside him to help him understand. Who are the Elis in your life, the people who have lived long enough to recognize God's fingerprints on you? Their words may be the thing that turns a vague restlessness into a clear direction.

So tonight, or tomorrow morning before the notifications start, try Samuel's sentence. Skip the long list of requests and the demand for a full map. Just say it: "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears." Then be quiet longer than feels comfortable. God is not hiding from you. He called as at other times, which means he is used to showing up. The question is whether we will make room to hear.