1 Samuel 3:10 “Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak,for your servant is listening.’”

Do I listen or do I simply hear?

My friends tease me a bit because I do not hear well on the phone.  If they want to talk with me it needs to be in person so I don’t misunderstand or just miss what they say.

We live in a world of noise and distractions.  We are barraged with sound at every turn and when there is quiet, we make our own sound because we don’t know quietness.

It takes intent to really listen.  It takes quiet and focus to move beyond the noise of our world.  When we take time to really listen, it is amazing what we can hear.

Samuel was just a boy serving under the priest Eli when he heard his call.  Like us, he didn’t understand what or who he was hearing until Eli told him.  Then, when the Lord called again Samuel was ready, he was listening.

The Lord calls to us as well.  Have you heard his voice calling and misunderstood it or missed it altogether?  I pray you will take time to sit and listen with intent.  I pray you hear his voice calling you into love and action.

Lord,

Please forgive me for hearing and ignoring or not even hearing because of distraction or selfishness.  Open my ears and my heart to hear your voice, to hear your call and to be a willing servant like Samuel.  Help me truly say “speak, for your servant is listening.”  Amen.