Yet it happened at that time, as Eli was lying down in his own place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well). and the [oil] lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.” He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call you; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. Then the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know [or personally experience] the Lord, and the word of the Lord was not yet revealed [directly] to him. So the Lord called Samuel a third time. And he stood and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli understood that it was the Lord [who was] calling the boy. So Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and it shall be that if He calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the Lord came and stood and called as at the previous times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:2-10

Accepting your situation and answering the call go hand in hand. But in order for us to walk in our purpose, we first have to realize first and foremost that there is a call, then acknowledge that the call is addressed to us personally, and finally, respond to it.

When He Speaks

Hearing and recognizing the call are difficult. Samuel was just 11 years old when God spoke to Him. He had been serving God since Hannah released him to Eli as a toddler. Yet, when God spoke to him, he did not recognize His voice, because He did not yet personally know the Lord. When I was first experiencing the symptoms of my illnesses and the uncertainty and fear of being diagnosed, my relationship with God was in the beginning stages (I’ve been a believer nearly all my life, but it was only in my adult years that I began to see the importance of having a personal relationship with Him). At the onset of my symptoms, if God was speaking to me - and He almost certainly was - I would not have recognized His voice because it was unfamiliar to me. My ear was not tuned to the frequency that He spoke on. As my faith began to grow, and I became more familiar with His Word, His voice slowly became louder and clearer to me. More importantly, I began to discern when He was speaking versus when I was (or when the enemy was). I’m now at a place where I am fairly confident in identifying His sound, and I’m continually growing this confidence as I spend more and more time with Him.

It is my belief that God is always speaking – through others, His Word, objects, or directly to us. It’s important to know that we have direct access to His voice through Christ’s death on the cross. But, He has also given us the free will to decide whether we are going to answer, or even whether we accept that it’s Him talking. We’re all in different places in our faith walk – some of us know His voice immediately, while others may take more time to recognize His unique sound. For some, the idea of hearing God directly is weird and unfamiliar. Regardless, He’s going to continue placing the call. And sometimes we need a little help identifying the caller…

Help in Answering the Call

I don’t know for certain, but I can imagine that without Eli, God may have been calling out to Samuel many more times before he recognized who it was. It’s possible that Samuel may have just started to ignore the call after a while. We all can benefit from having an Eli to help us identify and step into our calling. I remember my Pastor preaching once about the importance of the people around you; people who will pray for you, help you deepen your faith, and create an environment where you can flourish. I desired to have those people in my life, but I didn’t know where I would even find them. I prayed for over a year before God lead me to serve in ministry. Through serving, I was given an opportunity to build relationships with powerful, praying women who directly or indirectly helped me grow in my spirituality AND in my personal life. He put me in a position where I could watch others accept, walk, and grow in their own callings. He grew my confidence by sitting me at the table with people who could help me sharpen discernment and recognize God’s voice. I encourage everyone to pray for and find at least one “Eli” to help you get to the point where when God calls, you know it’s Him and can answer confidently.

What if I don’t want to?

One of the areas I have personally struggled in is not recognizing or hearing. It’s in accepting the uncomfortable call. Remember when Collect Calling was a thing (1-800-Collect)? When you received a Collect call, the operator asked if you would accept the charges for a call from (insert name here). If you were clever, you’d try to fit in your entire message in the name portion to avoid paying anything (there was a commercial in the 90s in which a family was sending collect calls to everyone under the name “WeHadaBaby ItsABoy”). Sometimes God will send you a quick message with the expectation that you will accept the call so that He can have a longer, more intimate conversation with you. However, sometimes God’s quick message can be intimidating, scary, and anxiety-inducing. My collect calls sometimes went something like this: “You want to talk to me about doing what, God? That’s way outside of my comfort zone - I think I’ll pass on that conversation.” At first, it seemed silly for Him to expect me to encourage others with chronic illnesses. How can I encourage others when I can barely lift myself up some days? Why would He use me – a stubborn, sometimes disobedient, teenager-in-the-spirit, when there are other, more mature, wiser people available to do the job?

I have learned that you can continue to dismiss the charges and reject the calls, but just like He did with Samuel, God will continue to put the call through until you accept it. Declining the call only delays your own growth and victory. And when it’s scary or anxiety-producing, understand that your calling is yours personally. God designed you for your calling and vice versa. Once you step into your purpose, He will work everything together for your good (Romans 8:28).

Food For Thought: What parts of “the call” do you struggle with? How can you improve in those areas this year? Wherever you are in the process of answering the call, I encourage you to continue getting more familiar with His voice. This comes through regular prayer and quiet, undistracted time with Him. If you’re in a stage of uncertainty and lack of confidence in your discernment, compare what you hear with His Word. If you struggle with answering due to fear and anxiety, go to Him with your concerns. He knows your weaknesses, and is ready to give you the strength and wisdom needed to answer the call.

Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 of Answering the Call!