Today we hear about a young boy, Samuel, brought up in the house of the priest Eli. He thought he heard his master calling him, but eventually he was instructed how to answer the call. It was God who was calling him, and Samuel was to reply, “Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.†From that day and from that experience of hearing the voice of God within, Samuel grew up to be a great prophet, and, in a magnificant phrase, we are told that the Lord “let no word of his fall to the groundâ€. Those who listen to the word of God will also speak their own words with great care.
Finding Jesus is never a one-time event. It is a lifelong engagement. Each day we are invited to say to the Lord, “Where do you live?†And each day the Lord will reply, “Come and see.†Our lives would indicate that we know very little and we understand less. But every day is a fresh opportunity to seek the Lord and to say, “Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.†We do not know all the answers to all the challenges of life. But at least we can live the questions in an open and honest way. Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.