Our reading is 1 Samuel 3:1-10. This is the background – there was a woman by the name of Hannah, who had a difficult time conceiving a child. Hannah prayed so earnestly for a child she caught the attention of a priest named Eli, who had compassion on her. He prays for her and, in time, she gives birth to a boy. She named the child Samuel, which means “the Lord heard.” She is so thankful for her son; Hannah dedicates Samuel to the service of the Lord and entrusts his care to Eli. According to our reading, Samuel stayed with Eli for many years.
According to our reading, God began to speak to Samuel when he was a boy. The great historian Josephus (37-100) tells us, God began to speak to Samuel when he was twelve years old. That is a significant age in that culture. Twelve-year-old boys were considered men. According to the Bible, Samuel was lying down in the temple when he heard his name and assumed Eli was calling him. One should never assume. It took God three attempts to get Samuel’s attention. This is the question you must answer. How many times would it take God to get your attention?After all, we have a difficult time simply hearing one another.
There are several reasons for not hearing one another. Sometimes, we don’t hear one another because our ears are broken. Did you know over fifty million Americans are hearing impaired? That is more than 14% of our national population. Sometimes, we don’t hear another because we are preoccupied. That is my story. I will be standing next to someone, but my mind is a hundred miles away. I say it regularly, “I’m sorry. What did you say?” Sometimes, we don’t hear one another because we refuse to hear what is being said, like when your doctor says to lose weight and exercise. We have a hard time hearing one another. However, the story is not about hearing other people. The story is about hearing God. Eli put Samuel in the best possible position to hear God.
Beliefnet is an online Christian resource and community focused faith, spirituality, and lifestyle. In 2019, they posted an article about putting yourself in the best possible position to hear God and this is their list:
Pray – Did you know, according to the Pew Research Group, 44% of Americans pray every day? That means 56% of Americans don’t pray every day.
Read the Bible – Did you know, according to Lifeway Research, 10% of Americans have never read a single word in the Bible?
Find a quiet space – Our world is full of noise. The music is always playing. The television is always on. Someone is always talking. Someone is always cutting down a tree or mowing the lawn. It is hard to hear God through all the noise.
Read spiritually rich material – The Christian faith is more than 2,000 years old. God has touched every generation, and, in every generation, people have written about their experiences with God. Read their words. Read what Augustine (354-430) had to say. Read what John Calvin (1509-1564) had to say. Read what John Knox (1514-1572) had to say. Read what John Wesley (1703-1791) had to say.
Look for God – For over twenty years, the youth at my church participated in Group Work Camps. At camp they were challenged to look for God, they called it a God sighting. If you train yourself to look for God, you will find Him.
Talk to other believers – The Christian faith was never meant to lived out in isolation. The Christian faith is meant to be lived out in community. That is why church is so important. In the true church we encourage and support. In the true church we are honest with one another and hunger for what is best.
Worship – God expects us to worship Him. (Matthew 4:10) Sadly, many don’t. Did you know, according to the Pew Research Group, only 30% of American Christians attend church weekly?
Know yourself – You are so valuable Christ died for your sins so you could spend eternity in heaven. Sadly, many don’t believe it. Did you know, according to NBC News, 85% of Americans have a low self-esteem. Maybe one of the reasons we don’t hear God, is we don’t like ourselves?
This is the point. Eli positioned Samuel to hear God. Are you in the best possible position to hear God?
In 2019, my wife Kathryn and I traveled to Scotland. It is a special place full of beautiful landscapes, history and wonderful people. Part of the adventure was traveling by train. Every day, we would check the train schedules. We traveled during non-peak hours so it would be easier. Nearly every day we would sit together on the train. One day, the car was full, and we were forced to sit apart. Kathryn sat with a couple from Sweden and discussed the royal family. I sat next to a young man, who was lost in thought. When I first arrived, he seemed annoyed. He was forced to move his sack lunch so I could sit down. I apologized and introduced himself. He told me his first name and said he was a local. I told him how impressed I was with Scotland. I told him about our travels. I told him about where we were planning go. I told him about my home and job. I told him about my family and our pets. I told him I loved baseball, but I knew nothing about soccer. I told him everything. Then, it hit me – I had been doing all the talking! I stopped talking and looked at him for a response. He was a million miles away. When he finally looked at me, he pushed his shaggy hair back and pulled his earbuds out. He looked at me and said, “Did you say something? I can’t hear anything when I am listening to my music.” I simply said, “That’s fine”, and I stopped talking. Why waste your breath if someone isn’t listening? Why waste your breath if someone doesn’t want to listen? Could that be our story?
God is talking to us, but we just aren’t listening. Could it be we are too preoccupied to listen to God? Could it be we are too busy to listen to God? Could it be we don’t want to listen to God because we are afraid of what he will say to us? We want God to say he loves and accepts us. We don’t want God to say that we are sinners who need to repent. We don’t want God to say that we are a disappointment. This is the question you must answer: are you putting yourself in the best possible position to hear God? I hope the answer is yes, because author Bryant H. McGill (born 1969) isn’t wrong. He once said, “One of the sincerest forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.”
Russ Adams 