CW 633 - Speak, O Lord
Samuel served as an apprentice, aiding the priest Eli in various traditional priestly duties. Samuel assisted with the sacrifices and prayers as well as watched the Ark of the Covenant at night and opened the sanctuary doors at dawn. Samuel slept in one of the courtyard rooms near the Ark. In the darkness, Samuel heard a voice. He assumed it was Eli. Because Eli was very old and nearly blind, he would often call Samuel to assist him.
Samuel displayed his humble servant attitude by immediately going to Eli’s side and saying, “Here I am.” However, Eli did not call him … the Lord had. By the third time the Lord called to Samuel, Eli finally figured it out. So, when the Lord called a fourth time, Samuel replied, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:1-10).
In our Hymn of the Day, we are like young Samuel saying, “Speak, O Lord.”
Verse one: Speak, O Lord, as we come to you to receive the food of your holy Word; take your truth, plant it deep in us, shape and fashion us in your likeness, that the light of Christ might be seen today in our acts of love and our deeds of faith. Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us all your purposes for your glory.
How often do you set aside 15 minutes at home to listen to God speak to you in your daily Bible reading? Have you made it an intentional part of your weekly activities to hear God’s voice speak the refreshing words of forgiveness over you in worship? Have you made it a point to really hear God speak to your heart with a weekly Bible study at church?
We are not very good listeners, are we? We are too rushed, too busy, tooilled with sin. Besides, we would much rather be the ones doing the talking. Instead of saying to God, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” we would rather say, “Listen, God, for your servant is speaking.”
But what happens when we are like Samuel and say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”? When God speaks, what do we hear? We listen to God announce that he has taken all our sins away. God tells us that his Son died as a sacrifice for us, to pay for all the mistakes we’ve made in our lives. God tells us that because of Jesus, he completely forgives us all our accidental and intentional sins. This forgiveness is like food to starving people and like light to those living in darkness.
Verse two: Teach us, Lord, full obedience, holy reverence, true humility; test our thoughts and our attitudes in the radiance of your purity. Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see your majestic love and authority. Words of pow’r that can never fail, let their truth prevail over unbelief.
The voices of the world, the devil, and our sinful flesh are so loud. We desire to listen to them! These voices tell us to hate what God loves and love what God hates. We listen to every other voice except for the voice of the One who became flesh and blood to save us. We can’t hear
God’s still, small voice calling over the commotion all round us. We refuse to listen to the One voice that loves us above all else – the voice of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.
But what happens when we stop and listen to our God? His gentle whisper drowns out the cacophony of voices around us. His voice creates new priorities and new behaviors in our lives. He teaches us obedience, reverence, and love. He makes us eager to sit still and listen to everything he has to say. He makes us love what he loves and hate what he hates. There is an urgency and an ecstasy in listening to the voice of the Lord.
Verse three: Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds, help us grasp the heights of your plans for us, truths unchanged from the dawn of time, that will echo down through eternity. And by grace we’ll stand on your promises, and by faith we’ll walk as you walk with us. Speak, O Lord, till your Church is built, and the earth is filled with your glory.
Let us be humble servants like young Samuel. Let us be eager to approach the Lord and hear him speak to us. We hear God speak about his plans for our lives, his eternal truths amid this world’s lies, and his promises that never fail. Then let us speak to God saying, “Speak, Lord, for I need to hear your voice absolving me of all my sins. Speak, Lord, for I need to hear your words comforting me, calming me, loving me, reminding me. Speak, Lord, for I need to hear your call driving away my doubts, dispelling my fears, curbing my sinful nature, advising me. Speak, Lord, for your gospel takes my unwilling heart and makes me willing. Speak, Lord, for your Sacraments change me, mold me, transform me, sanctify me. Speak, Lord, for it is through your Word that the Church is built and the earth is filled with your glory. Speak, O Lord. Amen.”