And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
Samuel is a boy sleeping in the temple when he hears his name called and assumes it's Eli, the old priest, calling him. He runs to Eli three times before Eli realizes what's happening and tells him what to say next time: speak, for your servant hears.
What's easy to miss is how ordinary this moment is before it becomes significant. No burning bush, no dramatic vision — just a kid in the dark, confused about where a voice is coming from, needing someone older and wiser to help him recognize it for what it actually was. Samuel didn't identify God's voice on his own. He needed Eli's help even to know what he was hearing.
Maybe you've had moments that felt like more than coincidence, more than your own thoughts, and you've had no idea what to do with them. This story doesn't demand you already know how to recognize God's voice on your own. Sometimes it takes someone else pointing out what you're actually hearing before you can answer it honestly.
If something has felt like more than your own thoughts lately, it might help to talk it through with someone rather than sort it out alone.
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.