Good evening, everyone!
Today I read 1 Samuel 1-3.
Let me break down the story for you.
Hannah is barren and wants children. She promises that if God gives her a son, she will dedicate him to the service of God.
She has a son, whom she names Samuel. She dedicates him to God's service, and visits him once a year when she and her husband go to the temple to offer their sacrifices.
Eli is the old priest who is to teach Samuel.
But Eli's sons are wicked, and do not know God or His laws.
Samuel is a young boy in the temple, and one night he hears a voice calling for him.
Thinking it is Eli, he goes to ask what he wants. Eli thinks the boy was dreaming so he sends him back to bed.
Three times.
After that, Eli figures out that it's God calling to Samuel, and tells him what to say the next time he hears the voice.
Samuel obeys, and God speaks to him, telling him prophetic things concerning Eli and his wicked sons.
Eli wants to know what God said, but Samuel doesn't want to upset him. Eli gently insists.
So, Samuel tells him all that God said.
God told Samuel that because of the wickedness of Eli's sons, his family will no longer be priests to God once Eli's sons are dead. In fact, Eli's sons are bringing an early destruction upon themselves.
And so Samuel becomes God's anointed prophet, though he is still a young boy.
And what I learned today is: when God calls, we must answer Him.
Sometimes it's easy to lose God's voice amid all the others that we hear, or to believe it is someone or something else calling to us. But it's important to take time to be still and listen, so that we can discern God's voice. Then, when we've had practice listening for and to Him, it will be easier to hear His voice even amid the voices of Fear, Chaos, Doubt, and others.
So, that's what I learned today.
I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read 1 Samuel 4-8.
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