Good Morning Friends,
There are moments in Scripture when the veil feels thin—when God’s voice breaks into ordinary life and calls someone by name. Today’s readings give us two such moments: a sleepy boy in the temple learning to hear God for the first time, and a weary Messiah rising before dawn to pray. Together, they invite us into a rhythm of listening and serving, receiving and going, quietness and mission. The Lamp of God has not gone out. So, Are You Listening When God Speaks In The Quiet And Sends Us Out To Share The Gospel?
Scripture: 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.” As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.
1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20 (NRSV)
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Mark 1:29-39 (NRSV)
Message: Samuel’s story begins in a spiritually dim season. “The word of the Lord was rare… visions were not widespread.” Yet even in the quiet, God had not stopped speaking. The lamp still flickered. Hope still glows.Young Samuel hears a voice he does not yet recognize. He runs to Eli again and again, faithfully responding even in confusion. Only after the third call does Eli perceive what is happening and teach Samuel the prayer that has shaped disciples for generations: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Samuel’s calling begins not with certainty but with availability. Not with expertise but with openness. God forms him through listening. And as he grows, Scripture says, “the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.” A life rooted in listening becomes a life that bears trustworthy witness. Jesus Lifts, Heals, Withdraws, and Goes In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus moves from synagogue to home, from healing to crowds, from crowds to solitude. He lifts Simon’s mother‑in‑law by the hand, restores her to service, and by evening the whole city gathers at the door seeking healing. But before dawn, Jesus slips away to pray. Even the Son of God seeks quiet places to listen. When the disciples find Him—breathless and urgent, “Everyone is searching for you”—Jesus is already aligned with the Father’s will. He knows the next step:“Let us go on… for that is what I came out to do.” The mission Jesus proclaims is not ordinary news. In the ancient world, euangelion—“Good News”—was a militaristic and imperial term. It announced a king’s triumph, the end of a battle, or the arrival of peace. A euangelistēs was a herald sprinting from the front lines declaring: “Victory has been won.” Scripture boldly redirects this image. Isaiah envisions a messenger running over mountains announcing God’s reign. The New Testament applies this victory-language to Jesus Himself. The Cross becomes the battlefield where Christ conquers sin, death, and the powers that enslave humanity. The resurrection is the royal proclamation that His victory is final and irreversible. So when Jesus says, “Believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15), He is not offering advice—He is announcing a decisive victory. The true King has acted. The kingdom has arrived. The war is won.To believe the Good News is to live under the reign of the victorious Christ, trusting that His triumph defines our reality and shapes our hope.In 1 Samuel, young Samuel hears God calling but doesn’t yet recognize the voice. It takes persistence, guidance, and a willing heart before he can finally say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” God had been present all along; Samuel simply needed to learn how to listen. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus heals, restores, teaches, and then withdraws to pray. His ministry shows that people have both physical and spiritual needs—and that God speaks through compassion, presence, and quiet moments of prayer. Jesus listens to the Father even as He serves the crowds, and His attentiveness shapes His mission. These passages remind us that God still speaks today. But not everyone is ready to hear. Some resist the light; others are simply distracted. Our calling is to remain attentive—to look for God’s presence in Scripture, in prayer, and in the people we meet. When we share the Gospel, we trust that Christ is already at work, healing, guiding, and opening hearts. So listen for the subtle movements of grace. Pay attention to timing, to conversations, to the needs around you. Like Jesus, respond with compassion. Like Samuel, stay ready to say, “Speak, Lord.”
And So, for us today these stories—Samuel learning to hear God, Jesus modeling a life of prayer, and Christ proclaiming His victory, meet in a single truth: God speaks in the quiet, and God sends us into the world with Good News. Even when the world feels spiritually dim, the lamp of God has not gone out. God is still speaking. God is still healing. God is still sending. And the Good News still marches toward us with the force of a royal victory.
Pray we learn to listen with Samuel’s openness and Jesus’ attentiveness. Pray the noise within me is silenced so I may hear God’s voice calling my name. Pray we are open to being sent where God’s love is needed. Pray we believe that Lord Jesus is the victorious King of the Universe. Pray the Good News reshapes our fears, our battles and our lives. Pray we let Christ’s victory run swiftly into the places of darkness with each of us and into the lives of those we serve. Pray God helps us to live as one and in peace because we know the war is won. Pray we trust Christ’s reign. Pray we carry the Good News into the world with courage, joy and hope listening as a servant for the Lord to speak into our lives.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 