One of my favourite Bible stories this week is the calling of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:1–10.

Samuel was still a young boy, serving in the temple under the priest Eli. One night he heard his name being called and immediately ran to Eli.

“Here I am, for you called me.”

But Eli hadn’t called him.

This happened again. And again.

Samuel heard the voice, but he didn’t yet recognise who was speaking.

It was only when (on the third time of being disturbed) Eli understood what was happening that he gave Samuel some simple advice:

“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.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The next time Samuel heard his name, he was ready.

“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

I find something of my own story in those verses.

For many years I considered myself a spiritual person. I genuinely believed I was seeking truth, serving others, and following the path set before me. Looking back now, I can see that God was calling me all along.

The trouble wasn’t that God wasn’t speaking.

The trouble was that I didn’t yet recognise His voice.

Like Samuel, I kept hearing the call but misunderstanding where it was coming from. And like Samuel, I needed someone wiser to help me understand what was happening.

For me, that person was my vicar (and now friend) Ravi.

He didn’t tell me what to think or what to believe. Instead, he helped me do something much more important: he helped me become still.

In that stillness, I began to hear God’s voice more clearly than ever before, and recognise it for what it was.

Sometimes we spend so much time searching for answers that we forget to stop and listen. Yet throughout Scripture, and throughout our own lives, God often speaks most clearly when we finally become quiet enough to hear Him.

If you’re feeling uncertain about your direction, perhaps the answer isn’t to run faster or search harder.

Perhaps, like Samuel, the invitation is simply this:

Be still. Listen. God may already be calling your name.

❤️🙏

-Laura