"Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!" (Luke 11:28)

< Back

THE CALL OF SAMUEL

Written by Jeremy F. Simons for the Early Childhood Religion Program

Illustrated by Marguerite Acton

If the Lord called you, would you recognize His voice? The boy in our story, Samuel, heard the Lord’s voice, but atfirst he thought that it was someone else’s voice. It wasn’t until after the third time that the Lord called Samuel thatsomeone helped Samuel realize that it was the Lord’s voice, and told Samuel what to do. That person was Eli, a priest, who looked after Samuel when he was a little boy.

Samuel was brought up by Eli in the house of the Lord in Shiloh. (A house of the Lord is like a church today.) This might seem a strange place for a boy to live, but there is a good reason why. Samuel’s mother had prayed for him to be born and promised that if she had a child he would be given to the Lord. The Lord did send her a baby, and she named him Samuel. Later, when Samuel was old enough to leave his mother, she remembered her promise. She took Samuel to live with Eli the priest (a minister) at the house of the Lord in Shiloh. His mother made a special set of clothes each year and brought them to Samuel when she came to see him.

Now Eli was getting old and couldn’t see very well. You can imagine how helpful Samuel wasto him. Perhaps he filled the oil in the lamps for light or maybe he helped to keep the temple clean. So, when Samuel heard his name being called in the night, after he had gone to bed, hethought that Eli had called him. He immediately said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli. He thought that Eli might need help because he was old and couldn’t see very well.

It is good to be the kind of person who pays attention when called. What if Eli had called Samuel, and Samuel had not come to see him? What if Samuel had called out that Eli should stop bothering him? It is important for children to pay attention when they are spoken to. Samuel listened to Eli and ran to see what he wanted. This shows what kind of person Samuel was.

But Samuel found that Eli had not called for him. Eli told Samuel to lie down in his bed and go back to sleep. So how surprised Samuel must have been when he heard someone call him two more times. But Samuel did not get angry, or ignore the call. He must have wondered what was happening, since he heard the voice perfectly loudly. He just didn’t know whose voice it was.

Fortunately, Eli was a good and wise man, and he soon understood what was happening. He understood that the Lord was calling Samuel, and that He wanted Samuel to do something special. Eli told Samuel to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” And Samuel listened to Eli.

When the voice called again, Samuel remembered what Eli told him. He said, “Speak, Lord,for Your servant hears.” So even though Samuel couldn’t see the Lord, he knew the Lord was there. Even though you can’t see the Lord, you know He is real, don’t you? The Lord told Samuel what He wanted him to do. He gave him a special message. He wanted Samuel to be a prophet for Him and to deliver His Word to the children of Israel. (A prophet was a man who heard the Lord’s voice and told people what he had heard.)

The Lord calls to you all the time. He speaks to people from the pages of His Word. That is why we open the Word and read from it. It lets us know that the Lord is speaking to us and reminds us that He is near to us. He asks us to obey His commandments, to love each other, and finally to come and be with Him in heaven.

The Lord also leads everyone to find a way to work for Him by doing some kind of job inthis world. Just as He called Samuel to be a prophet, the Lord leads everyone to do some special job—to help people by working in a business, or raising a family, or some other work. He will lead you to do a job when you are older.

But there are things you can do now. Samuel was just a little boy when the Lord called to him. And even though you are young, He calls to you too. What are some jobs you can do right now for the Lord? When you listen to your parents, you are also obeying Him. When you are kind or helpful to someone, you are working for the Lord.

How can you learn to hear the Lord’s voice? You can do this by learning who He is and what He is like. Then you can know what He wants you to do. If you listen to the Lord in His Word, and try to do what He teaches, then you will be able to recognize His voice.

Samuel didn’t know the Lord’s voice at first, but he soon learned from Eli who was calling him. He became one of Israel’s greatest leaders and prophets. You can learn to hear and obey the Lord’s voice. Who knows what great thing might He be calling you to do?

Printable Version