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3.1.15 Finding God in Unexpected Places Week Two
Samuel – When You Can’t Sleep 1 Samuel 3:1-10
Pastor Douglas Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
Which of these is closest to describing your sleep habits: sleep like a log – never hear a thing; light sleeper – the slightest noise wakes me up; I enjoy my sleep – need at least seven hours; I hate going to bed – I don’t like missing anything and sleep is a waste of time; sleep like a baby – I wake up several times and cry; other?
Read aloud 1 Samuel 3:1-10
“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, “Samuel!”
Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”
Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ”
So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Questions for Discussion
1. Both Samuel and Eli have their sleep interrupted. How do you handle interruptions? (Do you enjoy them and welcome them as a distraction? Do you hate being interrupted and find interruptions annoying? Do you get impatient or aggravated?)
2. Often it seems God has to interrupt us to get our attention. Has this ever happened to you? What was going on and what happened?
3. Have you ever had the experience in your life of having to learn the same lesson over and over until you got it right? What did you need to learn?
4. God had to call to Samuel three times before he and Eli finally realized what was taking place. Has God ever had to tell you, like Samuel, something more than once in order to get you to listen and act? Why can we be slow to "get it?"
5. What can we do to be open to hearing God speak to us through the interruptions and disturbances in our lives that upset our plans and schedules?
6. In the sermon Pastor Doug told a story about workers coming to rip out an old doorway at a Conference Center while a retreat was taking place. How can we open new entry ways into our hearts and lives so God may come in?
Prayer
God, who speaks to us in the stillness of the night and even in our dreams, enable us like Samuel to hear your voice and help us like Eli to know it is you speaking to us. Give us openness to your presence and guidance so that like Samuel we can say, “Here I am. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Inspire us to see ourselves as your servants and may be awake and alert to your presence at all times. Even in the midst of what may feel like an interruption to our routine, give us ears to hear and eyes to see in case it may be a divine appointment through which we come to know you better. We ask this in your name, Amen.