The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “Be Quiet!" for Sunday, 8 February 2015 - Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “Be Quiet!" for Sunday, 8 February 2015 - Scripture: 1 Samuel 3: Samuel’s call
1 Now the boy Samuel was serving the Lord under Eli. The Lord’s word was rare at that time, and visions weren’t widely known. 2 One day Eli, whose eyes had grown so weak he was unable to see, was lying down in his room. 3 God’s lamp hadn’t gone out yet, and Samuel was lying down in the Lord’s temple, where God’s chest[a] was.
4 The Lord called to Samuel. “I’m here,” he said.
5 Samuel hurried to Eli and said, “I’m here. You called me?”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go lie down.” So he did.
6 Again the Lord called Samuel, so Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “I’m here. You called me?”
“I didn’t call, my son,” Eli replied. “Go and lie down.”
(7 Now Samuel didn’t yet know the Lord, and the Lord’s word hadn’t yet been revealed to him.)
8 A third time the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “I’m here. You called me?”
Then Eli realized that it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So Eli said to Samuel, “Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down where he’d been.
10 Then the Lord came and stood there, calling just as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel said, “Speak. Your servant is listening.”[Footnotes:
1 Samuel 3:3 Traditionally ark]
Be still, and know that I am God.[Psalm 46:10 (NIV)]
My 10-year-old grandson loves to talk, so he often hears this request from his Dad: “Would you please be quiet for just five minutes?” However, he didn’t fully understand why his dad needed a break from his constant chatter until he spent an afternoon with his five-year-old cousin, who also loves to talk. My grandson discovered that concentrating on his video game was difficult to do while his little cousin stood beside him, chattering constantly. He finally put down his game, came over to me and said, “Grandma, now I know why Dad asks me to be quiet for a little while.”
I realized that I too am guilty of being overly talkative when I commune with God. Although I’m generally a quiet person, during my prayers I dominate the conversation, giving God lists of requests and praises. Even while reading my Bible, my thoughts are not always focused on “listening” to what I’m reading. This makes it difficult for me to comprehend the messages that the Holy Spirit has for me.
God gives us this command in Mark 9:7: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Therefore, with renewed desire to receive what our Lord has for us to hear, we can say with Samuel, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
The Author: Carol Forehand (Kentucky, USA)
Thought for the Day:
Sometimes God’s wisdom comes in moments of quiet solitude.
Prayer: Dear Lord, forgive us when we do all the talking. As we pray, help us to pause and listen to you. Amen.
Prayer focus: Grandparents
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