Once upon a time there was a little boy named Samuel. Samuel lived in a special house called the temple. There he helped an old man named Eli. Eli was a priest, and he knew God very well.
One night, Samuel slept soundly. The temple was quite dark and silent. Suddenly he heard a voice calling his name: “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel jumped out of his bed and ran to Eli. “Here I am,” said Samuel, “you have called me!”
But Eli shook his head. “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” Samuel went back to bed and fell asleep. But then the voice called out for the second time: “Samuel! Samuel!” Again Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, you have called me!”
Eli said again, “I didn’t call you, dear boy. Go back to bed.” Samuel lay down again. Then the voice called out for the third time: “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel ran to Eli again and said, “Here I am, you called me!”
Then Eli understood that it was God calling Samuel. “Samuel,” Eli said, “when you hear the voice again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant hears.'”
Samuel went back to bed. Then the voice cried again: “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak, Lord, your servant hears.” Then God spoke to Samuel. He told him many important things about the future.
From that day on, Samuel knew that God could talk to him. Samuel became a great prophet, a man who brought God’s news to the people.
Message of history
God speaks to us in a special way. We can learn to listen to him and pay attention to what he wants to tell us.
Bible passage
The story in which little Samuel hears God’s voice can be found in 1 Samuel 3:1-10:
“And the boy Samuel served the Lord before Eli. But the word of the Lord was rare in those days; prophetic visions were not frequent. And it came to pass that Eli lay in his usual place. His eyes, however, had begun to grow weak, so that he could no longer see. And the lamp of God was not yet extinguished; Samuel was lying in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel; But he answered, “Behold, here I am!” And he ran to Eli and said, “Behold, here I am, for you have called me.” But he said, “I have not called; go back to sleep! And he went and went to sleep. Then the Lord cried again, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Behold, here am I, for you have called me.” But he answered, “I have not called, my son; go back to sleep! But Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. Then the Lord called Samuel again, for the third time. And he got up and went to Eli and said, “Behold, here I am, for you have called me.” Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down to sleep; and when he calls you, say, ‘Speak, O Lord, for your servant hears.’ And Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the Lord came and stood and cried out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
