“Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Jehovah; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
3 sermons cite this verse
… So Eli told Samuel, go and lie down. And if he calls you, say, speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there calling as at the other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel said, speak, for your servant is listening. Eli challenges Samuel to step out of what was comfortable, of what he knew, and say, I'm here and I'm ready to hear from you, God. And God speaks to him. And when he does that, Samuel finally heard God speaking to him. And it starts this ripple effect, this chain of events that changed history forever. Samuel goes on to be a significant part of our Christian history as the last judge of Israel, anointing a shepherd boy who would eventually be King David, Samuel was kind of a big deal. But what would have happened if Samuel didn't have Eli as a mentor? If Samuel didn't have someone he could go to, Eli's willingness to pause, to listen, and to share his wisdom, it shifted how Samuel engaged with God. …
… Let me explain. If you fast forward to the time that we read about in 1 Samuel 3, verses 1 through 11, Samuel is a boy now, not a baby. Eventually, God gives Hannah what she asked for, a baby. But she had to take the baby back to the temple and dedicate him to the Lord, because that's what she vowed she would do. If God gives me a boy, I'll give him to you, Lord. I'll let him serve you. After she had weaned him, she took him, and she put him there in Eli's temple, which she knew was corrupt, but she had no other choice. She had to trust God that God is going to take care of this even though I can't. She had to trust God that I'm sending my kid to this crazy school, and I know what goes on there, but I know the God who goes before my kid that I'm sending to this school In giving her child to God, it meant that she spent almost every day of her life away from this boy. Now, God ended up giving her five other children, because you will never outgive God. …
… And Eli said to Samuel, Go lie down. And it shall be if he calls you that you shall say, speak, Lord, for thy servant is listening. So Samuel went and lay down in this place. Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said, speak, for thy servant is listening. Isn't that a beautiful way to answer God? Speak, for thy servant is listening. He was listening to God. Eli taught him how to listen to God. If you're going to listen to God, remember this, that listening is not a passive experience. Listening is an active experience. It's not that we're just going to sit and God's going to say it all. But listening is both not just passive, but it is actively experiencing God communicating with us. And to do that, there is an attitude involved. It's not just an attitude, but an attitude is involved. It's an attitude and an activity. So first of all, let's begin with the word expectantly. …