Samuel’s Call
Open Your Bible
1 Samuel 3:1-21, 1 Samuel 4:1-22, Psalm 78:58-66, Acts 4:23-31
BY Guest Writer
Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-21, 1 Samuel 4:1-22, Psalm 78:58-66, Acts 4:23-31
Calling is rarely simple. I know this from my own life, but I’ve observed it in the lives of others as well.
Several years ago, I sat down with women from several different seminaries to ask them why they were going into ministry. These interviews were part of my doctoral research in which I explored the experiences of women and personal calling. For most, their stories were complicated and full of self-doubt. Their calling didn’t necessarily make sense to them. It was a huge risk or a financial sacrifice. As a result, some had resisted the call, while others had rejected it outright. But for nearly all of them, their story of calling was neither simple nor clear.
Too often, we assume calling is straightforward. If it’s really from God, there shouldn’t be any confusion, right? And yet, most biblical stories of calling are complex. Samuel’s is no exception. Three times the Lord called Samuel, and three times Samuel failed to recognize God’s voice. It was the fourth time, and only after receiving wise counsel from Eli, that Samuel finally came to recognize and answer the voice of the Caller (1 Samuel 3:10).
This is tremendously comforting to all of us who are discerning a call. After all, Samuel heard the literal voice of God, and still he was confused! This tells me that uncertainty, fear, and doubt do not negate the validity of a calling. Instead, they are the norm. In Scripture, nearly every person called by God for a task initially felt afraid, unqualified, or unprepared for the task. Few are the stories of confident leaders who trusted God without pause.
So, how do we discern God’s calling when it’s unclear? In their commentary on 1 & 2 Samuel, J.D. Greear and Heath Thomas highlight four key obstacles to discernment: inexperience, expectation, unwillingness, and sin. Samuel was inhibited by the first two; he didn’t know the voice of God, and he wasn’t expecting to hear it. For some of us, it’s our own sin that blinds us; we’re too committed to our own security and comfort.
No matter the obstacle, Samuel’s story points to one great help in our discernment: wise counsel. Without Eli, Samuel might’ve circled the house twenty times that night, hearing the call but never recognizing it. Thankfully, Eli explained what was happening. Not only did he recognize God’s voice and know His ways, but he also named Samuel’s calling and instructed him on how to respond.
The women I interviewed reported similar counsel from pastors, parents, mentors and friends—individuals who were able to help them name their gifts, pointed them to Scripture, and encouraged them to boldly trust God. This is a blueprint for us all: it’s always best to discern God’s leading in the context of Christian community.
The good news is, our God is a pursuer. Over and over again, He called out to Samuel, and He does the same with us. God repeatedly beckons us in big and small ways until we hear and respond to Him. And all the while, He sends us the help of His Church, His Word, and His Spirit as guides. He does all this because no one is more committed to our God-given calling than the One who issues the call.
Sharon Hodde Miller is a writer, speaker, pastor’s wife, mom, and she holds a PhD on women and calling. She is a regular contributor to Propel, blogs at SheWorships.com, and her first book releases in October 2017.
95 thoughts on "Samuel’s Call"
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This one really hit home with me. I’ve always struggled to determine what God’s plan is for me versus what is my own desire. It’s comforting to know that this does not mean I am any less a Christian or that my relationship with the Lord is weaker than others. I needed this lesson!
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In chapter 4, the elders of Israel are devastated that “the Lord defeated us,” but, in asking why, they never go to the Lord for an answer – they ask the people. Instead of seeking divine wisdom, they resort to their own in a foolish move that alienates their people from the ark – God’s presence – for years to come. I’m reminded that I too often go to people with my problems before I go to God, who is really the only one that can fix them and guide me through. May I learn the danger of self-sufficiency and instead rely on God’s strength and wisdom in every situation!
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I struggle with hearing God and and I struggle with trying to figure myself out and what my purpose is. I hope someday to know but I feel like I should have already known by now. I feel so lost.
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Am late to the party but I really loved this. I’m faced with making some decisions about the future soon and wondering what God has planned…so this is do timely!
Who do you guys go to for the wise counsel Samuel got from Eli? -
I interpreted Samuel’s call a different way. One thing about scripture that fascinates me is how God hardens hearts and softens hearts. How he deliberately blinds people and how he deliberately makes them see. And it’s all for his divine purpose.
I think if God wanted to reach Samuel in a way he would have understood, he would have. There are plenty of examples in scripture of God making himself known in ways that were obvious to his audience. However, I think God deliberately confused Samuel by disguising his voice to sound like Eli’s. The reason? So Eli wouldn’t reject the prophecy he was about to give Samuel.
The prophecy would serve as confirmation of what Eli had heard earlier. Samuel came to Eli three times. Eli *knew* this was God. Nothing after the fact could dispute that. Who knows what kind of conspiracy theories Eli could have cooked up if he was unaware God was speaking to Samuel that night.
In that way, God was using Samuel to set the conditions for Eli to have a receptive heart.
God is God. If he wanted to reach Samuel in a way that was undeniable, I think he could have. But in this case it seem like it could have been part of a larger plan.
As for interpreting our own callings, I think to do so it helps to have a daily and committed relationship with God. That way our closeness can help us do whatever is in God’s heart and mind. Listening to those instincts that at our core feel right- without much doubt. And if we do feel doubt, I feel more prayer is needed so that we can spiritually align with what God wants us to do. That can take a day or it can take a month. It’s not a race. Just a daily walk.
But I too think Jesus laid it out really clearly. As Christians our calling is to love: love God, love ourselves, and love our neighbor. To always be participating in the cycle of love. Even when it’s super hard to do so. 1 Samuel 3:13 reminds us it also our duty to call out abuse when we see it. This is also an act of love.
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Love this! Thank you for sharing
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Lana thank you for this wonderful post. Love it too!
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“To always be participating in the cycle of love.” I like the way you put that. The cycle of love. So good.
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Thank you for sharing. This was so insightful and helpful!
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I love the reminder for us in 1 Sam 3:19, that since Samuel knew what was in the heart and mind of God, his prophecies were fulfilled. His obedience to God gave him a reputation beyond his direct influence.
I want to know God’s heart and mind. -
This is once again so perfect.
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A Close Call:
1 Samuel 3:3, “Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel.” The ark of God represented the very presence of God in the Old Testament. Samuel had a daily habit of proximity to the ark and to the presence of God. Samuel stayed close to God so that when God called Samuel heard. In contrast Eli, the priest, did not. Samuel had to run to Eli to tell him what he heard. Verse 7 says, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord, the Word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. What is so remarkable about Samuel’s call is God called him before he even knew God or his word. This principle is so full of hope- that God is at work with people even before they respond to him. As parents we should follow Hannah’s example and ensure that our children are in close proximity to God’s house and his word. For me personally, I am challenged to ask how close am I to God? The times that I feel God is distant and I am not hearing from him are the times that I am not faithfully in His presence waiting to hear from him. When Samuel recognized that God called him, Samuel’s response was to listen. “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (v.9, 10) So often I find that I am the one speaking instead of listening. I think we all want to hear a word from God, receive instruction on his will for our lives, what is he calling me to. I pray that like Samuel, I will find my place to rest close to the Lord so that when he speaks I will hear, respond and obey.-
Great insight. Thanks.
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Thank you for sharing. I, too, was thinking that it was so remarkable that Samuel was laying by the ark of God. I’m not sure of the scene, but I picture him being the only one there while Eli and the others were resting in their comfy beds. It reminds me that i can take for granite the Holy and not be in awe of the things of God. Therefore, I turn to my comforts and do not position myself to hear God. Samuel was truly eager and seeking, just as I was before I came to Christ. The question is, am I still or has his presence and voice become common to me?
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