Here I Am #329

Here I Am #329 (from 1 Samuel 3)

When Samuel heard his name, he said, “Here I am!” “Here I am, for you called me?” “No, I didn’t, go lie down,” Eli replied. This interaction happened three times that night, and each time Eli told him to return to his spot. The problem was that Eli wasn’t the one waking up Samuel; it was the Lord. 

The third time, Eli instructed Samuel to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” Then on the fourth time, the Lord called Samuel, he got up, went to the voice, only to see the Lord standing in front of him. Can you imagine what Samuel must have felt seeing God and hearing Him speak? I can’t. Samuel was afraid, so he waited until morning to bear the bad news to Eli. God had told Samuel that He was going to punish the house of Eli forever because he did not stop or correct his sons from blaspheming God. Eli returned with, “It’s from the Lord, let Him do what’s good to Him. Wow! God must have been speaking to both of them. 

I love this story, and I’ve said those very words aloud, “Here I am, Lord.” I bet that you’ve felt a calling before, too. The first time you heard it, you stayed still, tried to quiet the voice. The second time, you didn’t know what to do, and the third time, you yelled, “What!!!, What do you want?” 

God tries to get our attention in various ways, and every time you’ve felt the desire to move in a different direction, self-doubt comes in with things like, “Who me? I’m nobody, I can’t.” You may seek counsel from someone. Oftentimes, the advice you receive from a friend or loved one is like, “Pay no attention, it’s nothing. Go back and ‘lie down’.” But when the Lord calls you by name and asks you to step away from the status quo, you should listen. 

As humans, we like to set the terms when asked to do something, like picking a time that works for us. When God asks you to do something, setting the terms doesn’t work well with Him because He’s not checking your schedule.  He's checking to see if you’ll listen and move towards Him. He knows you and what stirs you, so regardless of how many times it takes you to finally answer and surrender, He expects you to move. Samuel may have been afraid, causing him to lie down before taking action, but he did it, so when God speaks to you or places something on your heart, do not let His words fall to the ground, regardless of how tough the assignment is. 

I’m not comparing you to Samuel, and I’m not saying that you should wait until the Lord stands in front of you to do anything. I’ve tried that and it doesn’t work. I’ve tried to drown out the voice before because I didn’t get the answers I wanted, so I rebelled. But God kept trying, then one day in August of 2014, He got my attention. All along, He knew I was struggling when I tried to hide it, yet He wouldn’t stop calling my name. I’m grateful for that, even though I wouldn’t have chosen those terms, but I know that I’m never going back to where I was before. 

So instead of setting the terms, trying to keep the voice quiet, or waiting for the perfect time. Simply say, “Speak, Lord, your servant hears,” trust that He will provide the way forward, and move in His direction. It may have taken Samuel four times to answer and obey; once he did, the Lord was with him for the rest of his life. That’s a legacy!

So if God has put something on your heart, then it’s time to listen and not be stopped by what others think or tell you what to do, because you never know what could happen. 

God’s created a legacy for you to live right now, so listen, move toward Him, and go where He tells you to go. In the meantime, visit www.lighthouselegacies.com to learn how. Also, listen and subscribe to The Living Your Legacy Podcast and check out the Lighthouse Legacies YouTube channel.