Learning to Listen #24

The prophet/judge Samuel was a prime example of someone in scripture who learned to listen. In I Samuel 3 he records:

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 

The Lord had been trying to get Samuel's attention, calling out to him in the night. Eli, who himself had become somewhat hard of hearing when it came to the Lord, finally figured out that is what was going on. When Samuel finally responds, he gives the simple, but profound answer Eli had recommended: ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. Implied, and stated in that response is that Samuel would not only listen, but serve God and do whatever God instructed.  That can be a scary thought, as what God then says is something Samuel, Eli, and their fellow Israelites do not want to hear: God is going to bring judgment. Could it be that is why we "tune God out"? We don't always want to hear what He has to say, so just do not listen in the first place. But we need to learn to listen, and obey, and hear the whole story. The Lord tells Samuel that Eli's household would be judged (and Samuel was then in that household and would have to live through that). Eli actually received the news well, and God used that time to bring revival in Israel. What at first sounds like terrible news can really turn out right, as long as we keep on listening to the Lord.