Wednesday of the 1st week of Ordinary Time
The child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. The Lord's word was rare in those days. There were not many visions, then. At that time, when Eli was laid down in his place ( now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see ), and God's lamp hadn't yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down in the Lord's temple where God's ark was, The Lord called Samuel. He said, "Here I am."
He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; for you called me."
He said, "I didn't call. Lie down again."
He went and lay down. The Lord called yet again, "Samuel!"
Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; for you called me."
He answered, "I didn't call, my son. Lie down again." Now Samuel didn't yet know the Lord, neither was the Lord's word yet revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; for you called me."
Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Lord; for your servant hears.'"So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"
Then Samuel said, "Speak; for your servant hears."
Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.
Then I said, "Behold, I have come. It is written about me in the book in the scroll. I delight to do your will, my God. Yes, your law is within my heart."
I delight to do your will, my God. Yes, your law is within my heart." I have proclaimed glad news of righteousness in the great assembly. Behold, I will not seal my lips, Lord, you know.
I have not hidden your righteousness within my heart. I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not concealed your loving kindness and your truth from the great assembly.
Immediately, when they had come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. He came and took her by the hand and raised her up. The fever left her immediately, and she served them.
At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by demons. All the city was gathered together at the door. He healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons. He didn't allow the demons to speak, because they knew him.
Early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there. Simon and those who were with him searched for him. They found him and told him, "Everyone is looking for you."
He said to them, "Let's go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because I came out for this reason." He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.
What strikes me most about young Samuel's story is how ordinary his confusion seems. Here's a boy trying to sleep, hearing his name called, running to the only adult he knows—completely natural responses that we'd expect from any child. Yet in this utterly human moment, God is breaking through.
Samuel "didn't yet know the Lord," the text tells us. He had to learn to recognize God's voice through trial and error, with Eli's patient guidance. This gives me such hope because it means we don't need to have it all figured out from the start. God keeps calling, even when we misunderstand or look in the wrong direction for answers.
In Mark's Gospel, we see Jesus healing Simon's mother-in-law, and immediately she begins to serve. But what I find beautiful here is what happens next—Jesus withdraws to pray while still dark, seeking solitude with the Father even as crowds are looking for him. He shows us that listening for God's voice requires intentional quiet, stepping away from even good and necessary work.
Both Samuel and Jesus teach us about attentiveness. Samuel had to learn to say, "Speak, Lord; your servant hears." Jesus modeled regular withdrawal from the demands around him. In our noisy world—with notifications pinging, people needing us, endless tasks calling—we need this same discipline of listening.
The beautiful thing is that God wants to communicate with us. Not just with prophets or saints, but with us, in our ordinary Wednesday afternoons, in the spaces between our responsibilities. Sometimes we might mistake God's voice for something else, just like Samuel did. That's okay. God is patient with our learning.
How might you create space today to simply listen? What voices compete with God's voice in your daily life? When do you feel most attentive to what God might be saying to you?