Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The word of the Lord had not yet been
revealed to him….The Lord called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and
went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the
Lord was calling the boy. - 1 Samuel 3:7-8
Samuel grew into one of the greatest
spiritual leaders the Israelites ever had.
He was a fearless spokesman for God.
When the people needed direction, Samuel brought a word from God. When the king needed to hear from God, Samuel
was his man. Samuel walked so closely
with God that he never had to wonder what God wanted him to do; God gave him clear guidance every step of the
way.
Perhaps you know a man or woman who,
like Samuel, seems to have an inside track with God. Do you wish you knew God like that? The Christian life is such that everyone
begins at the same place. Think of the
most godly Christians you know. They
started out just like everyone else – as strangers to God. Every Christian starts out completely
disoriented to God. Every Christian
starts out completely disoriented to God.
Samuel was no exception. When God
first called out to him, Samuel didn’t even recognize who was speaking! He assumed it was the priest Eli. Samuel had to learn how to recognize God’s
voice and to understand what God was saying to him, just like everyone
else. After years of spending time with
God, Samuel came to recognize his voice instantly.
There is no other way to learn how to
identify God’s voice than to spend time talking with him. The exciting thing is that you have the same
opportunity as the greatest spiritual giants you know. God will speak to you just as he speaks to
them. Samuel took advantage of every
opportunity he had to get to know God.
As a result, God did great things through Samuel’s life. You may not always recognize God’s voice now,
but continue spending time with him. The
day will come when you won’t have to wonder if it’s God speaking. You’ll know who it is.
