Still

Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. ⁶ Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. ⁸ A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. ¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”


Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:4-10

                It seems these days in this extremely fast-paced world that we live in, it is very difficult (and rare) to find a quiet moment. Sometimes I feel that if I have any hope of getting any writing done, I will have to go away and find a cabin in the woods or a bungalow by the ocean just to find a little peace.  There is always a tight schedule to be followed that barely allows room to breathe, as well as a list of “to do’s” that would probably take me six months to finish if I did  nothing else but work on it solid! But on this rainy morning here at home, although I am not surrounded by the sound of silence and not alone, I have found that quiet place of stillness in Him. It’s a place that is hard to describe, a place of peace and contentment, of hope and inspiration, of perfect love and trust. I am overwhelmed…

                When we take the time to get still before God and place Him in His rightful place as first priority in our lives, He will begin to speak to our heart. When we don’t have the answers and don’t know what to do, then we need to get still before the Lord, quiet all of the distractions that occupy so much of our time, and listen to His voice. It’s easy to come before God with prayers that He will meet needs for those we love, as well as for ourselves, but it is harder to just stop and hear what He has to say to us instead of bombarding Him with everything we want and need.

                So often we treat our heavenly Father as if He is there to fulfill a supernatural “to do” list for us, while the whole time He is longing for fellowship with us. He wants our time and His desire is to have our full devotion and all of our heart. God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and He still wants to have those talks with us as we walk with Him daily if we will only take the time to be still in His Presence. And in the same way that God called out to Samuel in the night in 1 Samuel 3:10, He is calling out to us and waiting for us to say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”