1 Samuel 3:7 (NLT) Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before.

Samuel was a boy who was dedicated to serve at the Temple of the Lord from an early age by his mother, Hannah. Hannah had been barren and she prayed that if the Lord would give her a child, she would dedicate him to the Lord after he was weaned. The Lord answered her prayer and Samuel was born. The Lord's hand would be on him and he would become one of Israel's most important prophets.

Samuel was always around the Temple helping the high priest at the time whose name was Eli. He even slept in the Temple. One day, the Lord called out to him in an audible voice, but Samuel thought it was Eli that had called him. He went to Eli and Eli told him that he had not called him. This happened three times until Eli finally realized that it was the Lord that was calling out to young Samuel. But Samuel had no idea that it was God. Even though he was living in the Temple and even making his bed in the Holy Place, he did not know the Lord because he had not personally heard from Him before. Samuel knew all about the Lord and about His Temple. He knew about the priestly duties and he even assisted Eli in those duties (1 Samuel 3:1). Yet even with all of those advantages, Samuel did not know the Lord.

Samuel's dilemma is the dilemma of many Christians today. Many Christians know all about the Lord. They go to church every week and may even serve in one of the ministries, but that doesn't guarantee that they will get to know the Lord. To know God is to speak to Him and have Him speak to you. When someone speaks to you about God, you may gather some more information about Him than you knew before, but when the Lord speaks to you, you have been spoken to and it begins a powerful and lasting journey unlike anything that you have ever experienced. While it must have been awesome for Samuel to live in the Temple and even to lay His head right next to where the Shekinah Glory of God was hovering over the mercy seat in the Most Holy Place, it didn't help in getting to know God. It wasn't until Samuel heard from God personally that he was able to know Him and would later become a great blessing to the people of Israel. What about you? Do you hear from God? Have you ever heard from Him? If so, keep seeking Him and knowing Him more and more. If not, seek Him with all of your heart and you will find Him, hear from Him, and know Him.

Pastor Joey Vazquez