Surrounded by You

Jun 6

Darkness covered the house as night tucked in around those who were falling asleep. In these days, the word of the Lord was rare; shadows were prevalent and this silence felt heavier than it ever had.

Until, a voice rang out:
“Samuel!”

The boy jerked awake upon hearing his name called so clearly through the halls. He had been in a deep slumber, and yet he could still hear the soft echoes of the voice; he knew he had been called. Immediately he leaped out of bed, for these were the last days of this faithful teacher who was becoming so weak he could barely see. Motivated by a desire to care for, Samuel rushed to his teacher’s room, opened the door, and spoke:

“Here I am.” He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

The old priest was startled and said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

Samuel, satisfied with his teacher’s wellbeing, slowly left and made his way down the dark hallway to his room. He settled back into his bed and closed his eyes, until, once more, the voice called out:

“Samuel!”

The boy threw back the covers, knowing this time for sure it was his teacher who needed him. He was certain, for the voice was too clear to have been imagined.

He ran back up the hallway, quickly pulled at the door, and between heavy breaths, spoke to his teacher: “Here I am; you called me.”

Eli, confused once more at the disturbance, turned towards the boy whose wide eyes stared back at him from the doorway. He heart softened at the sight of Samuel’s devotion, but still he admonished: “My son, I did not call; go back and lie down.”

Samuel’s shoulders dropped. He nodded and made his way back to the hallway, trudging softly against the hard stone beneath his feet and rubbed at his tired eyes. Once back in bed, he felt a heavy yawn overtake him, and still, the boy blinked slowly and looked around in quiet wonder waiting once moreto be called. When silence lingered, he shrugged, and laid back down to close his eyes. But suddenly the silence was broken by his name:

“Samuel!”

By the time Samuel was back at his teacher’s room for the third time, Eli turned sharply to scold, but felt a stirring warmth in his chest that had him pause. This, he realized, was not just the imagination of a young boy. Startled with hope, Eli realized the Lord was calling to the boy. He told Samuel:
“Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”

Obediently Samuel returned to his bed, and once more retreated to sleep. And then the Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times,

“Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

There is so much we can learn from 1 Samuel 3, but what struck me the most was how Samuel consistently held a posture of a willingness to listen - despite how many times he was called. I believe God gives us this scripture to help us understand the importance of what it means to truly listen, and how moreoften than not, it’s a lesson we need to be reminded of.

In fact, we as humans spend 70-80% of our waking hours engaged in some form of communication, and at least 45% of that is spent listening. Which means it is our PRIMARY communication activity. Furthermore:

85% of what we learn is through listening.

75% of that time, we are distracted, preoccupied or forgetful.
We listen at 125-250 words per minute, but think at 1000-3000 words per minute.
The average person hears between 20,000 and 30,000 words during the course of a 24-hour period.
In that, most people usually only remember about 17-25% of the things they listen to.

What I see in these numbers is… we encounter a LOT of noise, and more often than not we let ourselves get carried down the river of that noise by being too busy - fueling our mind to move too quickly. In the end, we neglect time with our Father and miss his gentle messages to our heart.

The truth of it is, like Samuel, we are invited to listen for God's whispers in the midst of life's busyness. In the gentle rustle of the wind, the soft patter of rain, and the stillness of the night, God speaks to us, offering guidance, comfort, and reassurance. All we need to do is quiet our hearts and incline our ears to His voice.

God is ALL around us. We are surrounded by His presence; unlike the days of Samuel, hearing from our Abba is NOT rare. How blessed are we to receive such a gift.

Samuel's response to God's call teaches us the beauty of obedience and surrender. Instead of grumbling, ignoring, questioning, or hesitating, Samuel simply says, "Speak, for your servant is listening." It's a posture of openness and trust, a willingness to heed God's voice wherever it may lead.

Can you imagine the joy God feels if we turned to Him in the same way? What if every day we woke up with a mindset of this kind of deeper listening - I encourage you this: instead of reaching for your phone when you first wake up, speak these words out loud in a way Samuel did:

“Speak, Lord, for I am listening.”

Let your waking thoughts be an invitation to open your heart to God’s closeness everyday.

Diving deeper into bible research, I was so thrilled to find Samuel was not the only one who lived intentionally in this way. Anytime there is repetition in scripture, I believe God makes it clear the message He wants our hearts to receive.

Abraham | Genesis 22:1
Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”

Jacob | Genesis 46:2
During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called. “Here I am,” Jacob replied.

Moses | Exodus 3:4
“When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied.”

Isaiah | Isaiah 6:8
“Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

In a world clamoring for attention, God chooses to whisper His message to a young boy, inviting him into a relationship marked by trust and vulnerability. It's a reminder that God's voice is not
always heard in the noise of the crowd but in the quiet corners of our souls.

Like Samuel, we too may find ourselves in the midst of life's busyness, surrounded by our obligations and the cacophony of our thoughts. Yet, amidst the chaos, God's voice persists, whispering softly to our souls, calling us by name.

How often do we, like Samuel, mistake the voice of God for the familiar sounds of our earthly existence? How frequently do we overlook the messages that gently nudge us towards paths of righteousness and grace?

1 Samuel 3 teaches us the importance of attuning our ears to God's voice. It beckons us to silence the distractions that vie for our attention and to incline our hearts towards the whispers of our Father. For it is in the stillness of our souls that we discover the profound truths of God's love and guidance.

And so, like Samuel, let us: