When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
A common thread between our readings for today is prayer. Samuel was born into a community that was largely not pursuing an active relationship with God. Revelation of him was uncommon and visions infrequent. We get the impression that if Eli had been more invested in his own relationship with the Lord he would have more quickly recognized the description of Samuel's experiences. But, to his credit, he did eventually discern what was happening, as though drawing on past memories of when his own relationship with the Lord was stronger.
Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
We are meant to understand that this was not a one time encounter that merely set Samuel on a path as an effective prophet. Rather, he was an effective prophet because and to the degree that he continued to revisit the presence of the Lord throughout his life and deepened his connection with him. We might assume that once the Lord decided to make someone a prophet that such a one would no longer need to actively work at developing their relationship with him. But we can see from today's Gospel that even Jesus, who apparently ought to have had no need of it, maintained a regular habit of prayer, even in spite of the fact that he didn't have any convenient free time to dedicate to the practice.
Rising very early before dawn,
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
When we are busy our habit of prayer is often the first thing that falls by the wayside. We tell ourselves, not incorrectly, that God will understand, and that we will pick it back up when we have more time. But, first, when we have this attitude, the enemy works to make it seem as though no time is ever convenient again. Second, it is harder to start again than it would have been to continue. And third, all of the things with which we are busy will also be somewhat compromised since we will not be our best selves. Over a chapel somewhere there is a sign that reads: 'Saints pray more and get more done.' It is not in spite of their prayers that they get more done. It is rather because, after a fashion, God permits no word of theirs to be without effect.
God does not desire that his people follow him accidentally or without their knowledge or consent. He desires relationship in which he first makes known his will and then allows us to carry it out. He tells his friends what he is about. But this is something that must be practiced and in which we must grow. His sheep know his voice. But they know it well if they have practiced listening. They recognize it readily if they have come to expect that they will hear it.
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
When our lives aren't rooted in prayer we will usually find ourselves unable to choose between competing demands on our time. Even if we are not at the mercy of our desire for pleasure or entertainment we may still find ourselves bowing to the most loudly shouted demands of those around us. Or, unable to choose, we may be as immobilized as Peter's mother-in-law. But when prayer is a priority we will experience a clear sense of purpose, like the clarity that allowed Jesus to know that it was time to move on, in spite of the fact that there were many who wished he would stay. God has a purpose for us, just as he did for his Son. We should strive to grow in prayer so that he can direct our steps on the path to fulfill it. He doesn't necessarily always immediately reveal some grand eventual destination. But he help us find the nearby village to which we should go next. What would it be like to live our own lives with the clarity of purpose Jesus possessed? Part of the reason he prayed was to be an example to us. And one of the apparent fruits of his prayer was this clarity of purpose. Thus it is probably fair to assume that we too can reach a point of contact with God where we can say of ourselves and what we are about: "For this purpose I have come", knowing that God is with us.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
Phillips, Craig, and Dean - Friend Of God
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