"A Servants Heart"

Then the Lord came and stood and called as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears."  Samuel 3:10

As a youth pastor I have often used this account of Samuel's call to show my young people that God can speak to those that are young. He doesn't just save His words for the old. But that really isn't the point of today's message. Today I would like to take a quick look at something else. Samuel's heart. Maybe it was because he had been serving the Lord since his mother dropped him off after he was weaned. Maybe it was because his parents had dedicated him to the Lord before he was even born, or maybe it was ? Who knows why Samuel had a servants heart, but he did. We know that he did  because the three previous times that he had heard his name called, he immediately went each time to Eli to see what was required of him. See, the thing about a servant is they do whatever task is asked of them by their master. When Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant hears." He meant it. The words hears, in Hebrew means to hear intelligently (often with impl. of attention, obedience.) He wasn't just saying, "Speak." He had every intention of doing what was asked of him.

God gave Samuel a hard message to deliver to Eli. Samuel, obeyed, even though he was young, and even though this was the first time that he had heard God speak. Jesus so often ended one of His teachings with these words, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Wasn't His point, pay attention and apply these words to your life? Don't just hear them with your ears but obey them with your life. The real truth is, every time we are in His Presence it is His heart to speak to us and it should always be our heart to listen and obey!

"Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears," were the words this young man and his servants heart uttered. Are they the words you speak as you enter His Presence and answer His call?