“Here I Am” – Samuel's Obedience

In one paragraph

Brian and Lissa were out of town for a wedding, so Amanda Lack, who is on staff at Tribe, brought the Mother's Day message. She preached from 1 Samuel 3, the story of the boy Samuel hearing the voice of God in the night, and she built the whole message around one phrase: "Here I am, Lord, your servant is listening." Amanda opened with context, because she said she never wants to just drop into a...

Read together

1. Judges 21:25 quoted to describe the era before Samuel: 'there was no king of Israel, and every man did right by his own eyes'
2. 1 Samuel 1 Hannah's story, her barrenness and prayer for a son
3. 1 Samuel 2:27 the prophetic word of judgment spoken to Eli about his house, starting around verse 27
4. 1 Samuel 3:1-21 the main passage read aloud and expounded throughout the sermon
5. Psalm 103 referenced for 'the Lord is merciful, his love and mercy endures forever, to those who fear him'
6. John 10:27 quoted: 'my sheep know my voice and I know them and they follow me'
7. 2 Timothy 4:3 quoted about people gathering teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear
8. 1 Kings 21:25 quoted about Ahab: 'there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness'
9. Isaiah 30:18 shared by a congregation member: 'the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion'
10. Deuteronomy 29:29 quoted: 'the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever'

What was said

• Set aside a few minutes this week to sit quietly before you read your Bible or pray, and say out loud or in your heart, 'Speak, Lord, your servant is listening,' before you start.
• When you sense a nudge from the Holy Spirit about something small, like putting the cart back at the grocery store, do it right away instead of talking yourself out of it.
• If there is an apology or a hard conversation you have been putting off, take a step toward it this week in private before God asks you to do it somewhere far more uncomfortable.
• Pray specifically for the kids and students in your life, whether your own children, kids in Tribe, or students at Jackson Hole High School, that they would rise up in obedience to whatever God has called them to.
• When the same message, scripture, or conviction shows up from more than one place this week, treat it as God's confirmation and ask him what he wants you to do about it.

Talk about it

1. Amanda talked about the difference between hearing and listening, saying you can hear without your heart being attuned. Where in your own life have you noticed that gap between the two?
2. God called Samuel three times before Eli finally recognized what was happening. Have you ever experienced God repeating something to you through different people or circumstances before you finally paid attention? What was that like?
3. Samuel had to deliver hard news to Eli, the man who raised him, and he left nothing out. Can you think of a time when obedience to God cost you something relationally or emotionally? How did you handle it?
4. Amanda made the point that before Samuel had any public ministry he was marked by private obedience, using the grocery cart as her own example. What does private obedience look like in your day-to-day life right now?
5. The sermon ended with the phrase 'here I am, Lord, your servant is listening' as a heart posture rather than just words. What would it look like practically for you to carry that posture into this coming week?