1 Samuel 3:1

1 Samuel 3:1 says, And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.  Samuel ministered to the LORD by serving Eli, and during this time period, God's word was very precious, because there were very few prophets seeing a vision from God.  Of course, God’s word should always be precious, but especially during times when we are hearing it less and less, which seems to be the case today.  Verse two adds, And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;   During this time, Eli was growing old and having problems seeing.  Even if we are a Christian, that does not mean that we are exempt from physical ailments in life.  Verse three continuad, And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;  Before the lamp in the temple of the LORD where the ark of the covenant was went out, Samuel laid down to sleep.  Matthew Henry says this made it about midnight.  After serving Eli faithfully during the day, Samuel needed some rest.  We cannot effectively serve God if we do not get our needed rest as well.  Verse four states, That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. Then, God called to Samuel, and he answered, "Here am I." Verse five adds, And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.  Unfortunately, Samuel didn't recognize God's Voice, so he ran to Eli.  The first time we hear God calling to us, we also may not recognize His voice.  Eli told Samuel that he hadn't called him, which was true, and told him to go back to bed.  If God calls us today, we must first be able to recognize His voice.  Verse six adds, And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.  God called Samuel again, and he again went to Eli, telling him he knew he had called him.  Eli again told Samuel that he hadn't called him, and once again told him to go to bed.  They were probably both getting irritated and confused by then.  If God is speaking to us, no one else is going to be able to tell us what He wants.  Verse seven continues, Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.  Even though Samuel had been dedicated to God's service even before he was born, he did not have a personal relationship with God.  Until we come to know God by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, it doesn't matter if we have been dedicated to God and are possibly even serving in the church, we will not know God's voice.  Verse eight declares, And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.  God called to Samuel a third time, and he failed once more recognize God's Voice, so again went to Eli saying he knew that Eli had called him.  This time, instead of denying it and sending Samuel away,Eli recognized that it was God calling Samuel.   Matthew Henry says that since Eli was the priest that he might have wondered why God hadn't spoken to him.  We need to realize that God speaks to us individually and be able to recognize His Voice.  God will call us more than once to come to Him by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, and if we do, then we will be able to recognize His voice.  Verse nine adds, Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  Eli told Samuel once again to go and lie down, and if God called him again to say, "Speak, LORD,  for thy servant heareth."  This is what we all must do if we are to be a child of God.  Verse ten continues, And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.  God once again called Samuel, this time calling him by name twice.  If we are to become a follower of Christ, then God will have called us to Him by name. Accepting Jesus Christ is a personal decision that must be made by every individual personally.  Samuel responded as Eli had told him to do, except he left out the word LORD.  As yet, Samuel had not established a personal relationship with God.  When God first calls us, whither once or several times, until we acknowledge His Voice and accept His call to Him by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, He will not be our LORD.  God calls everyone to Him, but many never recognize His Voice and some refuse to come to Him by faith.  Just being called name is not enough.  We must recognize God's Voice and answer His call to a personal relationship with Him if we are to have an everlasting relationship with Him.