1 Samuel 3:2-9, NIRV

²One night Eli was lying down in his usual place. His eyes were becoming so weak he couldn’t see very well. ³Samuel was lying down in the Lord’s house. That’s where the ark of God was kept. The lamp of God was still burning. ⁴The Lord called out to Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵He ran over to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called out to me.”

But Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁶Again the Lord called out, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said, “Here I am. You called out to me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.”

⁷Samuel didn’t know the Lord yet. That’s because the Lord still hadn’t given him a message.

⁸The Lord called out for the third time. He said, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said, “Here I am. You called out to me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If someone calls out to you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord. I’m listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Message:

To be honest with you, I didn’t sleep well last night. I kept rolling over and waking up all night long. Has that ever happened to you? (Allow children to respond.) Have you ever been asleep and woke when you heard someone’s voice? Maybe your mom or dad was speaking to you, trying to wake you up. Sometimes when you are in a deep sleep, hearing a voice might be confusing because you aren’t sure if the voice is real or in your dream. You are not quite sure if you heard the voice or not. Has that ever happened to you? (Allow children to respond.)

Today’s Bible story is about a young boy close to your age who is living with a priest named Eli. Samuel lived with Eli, so he could learn how to serve God. Raise your hand if you would like to live here at the church. (Allow children to respond.) When Samuel was trying to sleep, a voice kept waking him up. He thought it must be Eli, as Eli was the only one who lived with him. But it wasn’t Eli. Does anyone know whose voice it was? (Allow children to answer.) That’s right. It was the voice of God. God was calling out to Samuel. God had an especially important job for Samuel to do.

Let’s add some more to our poem, but first, let’s remember last week’s.

We begin with last week’s reminder,

In the beginning, there was no shape for the earth’s covering.
But God’s Spirit was hovering.
It was dark. And God named the darkness “night.”
God wanted more, so God separated the darkness from the light.
The light was named “day,” as God thought it should.
When God saw this, God said, “This is good!”

Now we will add to our poem:

Samuel heard a voice. Was it a dream? Who could it be?
When it woke him, he said, “Here I am; you called out to me.”
I wonder how you know when God might be calling out?
Be still, listen, and don’t shout.
Listen to God to tell you what to do.
God spoke to Samuel we know, but what might God be saying to you?

I wonder how you know when God is calling to you. (Allow children to respond.) God speaks to people in many ways. Samuel heard a voice that woke him up. God may also speak to you through a dream. God may speak to you through another person. That person may be someone close to you, or it may be someone you never expected.

It is sometimes hard to recognize God’s voice. Ask someone you trust to help you listen and recognize God’s voice. Other people may hear God calling you even before you do.