I Samuel 3:19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
Are You Listening?
Recently, we have been at West Branch of Bill Rice Ranch in beautiful Williams, Arizona. The cabin in which we stay is five cattle guards away from I-40, and we are a half mile from the last cattle guard on a dirt road. That is also where our cell service pretty much ends. It’s amazing how slow and quiet things tend to be when we are at West Branch in contrast to the calls, voicemails, emails, texts, and so on that my phone usually gives to me. When I don’t have those distractions, I find that I begin to hear other voices. I hear the ravens and other critters out in the woods surrounding our cabin. Today, we live in a very noisy world. There are a lot of voices vying for our attentions, and sometimes there is so much noise and clamor that we cannot hear the most important voice, the voice of God.
In I Samuel 3, the Bible tells the story of Samuel, who had been dedicated to God and had been an apprentice to the high priest, Eli. In many ways Eli was a good man, but Eli was not listening to God nor was he restraining his sons who were doing wickedly. God was about to begin speaking to Samuel instead of speaking to Eli.
I Samuel 3:1 says, “The word of the LORD was precious.” It was valuable, not just because these were the words of God, but because there were so few of them. Yet, if you read I Samuel 3, it is all about communication. The Bible says that God spoke to Samuel and that Samuel relayed God’s message to Eli. But what was happening was not just that God was speaking, but that there was someone to listen. I Samuel 3:19 says, “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” In spite of his pedigree, age, and ability, Samuel’s words carried force, value, and power because they were relaying the message of God.
Verse 21 says, “And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” I Samuel 4:1 says, “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.” A young man with no pedigree and very little ability was used to powerfully give words that mattered, not because he was an orator, but because he was a listener. I can’t speak well if I won’t listen well.
God speaks to those who will listen, and God enables those who obey. The Bible says that Samuel was a child, but it also says in the same chapter that Samuel grew. He didn’t just grow in stature or age, he grew in his discipline to listen to God. A person with the discipline to listen will have the power to speak. May God help us to focus on the one voice that matters most, the voice of God, so that we’ll know how to live.