"The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Last week, we learned Hannah's prayer. She was in a great distress, because she could not have a baby and another wife kept provoking her. At this time, she came to God in prayer. She prayed for the relationship with God. God's answer to her was Samuel. She just prayed for one son and her relationship with God. But God had a great vision for one nation Israel through one woman's prayer. Today we will learn how God called young Samuel as his servant to save Israel. May God speak and call each of us through today's message.

1. There were not many visions

The Bible clearly reveals the spiritual situation of the time. Look at verse 3:1b. "In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions." Samuel was born when there were not many visions. It was because the word of the LORD was rare.

Look at verse 2:12. "Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD." Eli's sons would inherit priestly position after their father and become religious leaders of Israel. But they were wicked and disregarded worship. When the meat of a sacrifice was being boiled, they plunged a fork into the pot and took the meat out. They even took away burnt offerings before they get burnt, because they wanted to enjoy raw meat. They disregarded people's sincere heart and offering. They have misused their religious authority. They also slept with the women who were serving at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When religious leaders had sin problems and not repent like this, they could not lead and guide Israel to God.

Then how about Eli the priest? He said to his sons in 2:24, "No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the LORD'S people." He did not rebuke his sons for their sins and make them repent. He just cared about rumors among people. He loved his sons more than God. As a shepherd of Israel, he did not have a right attitude toward God. God sentenced him that there would be no old man in his family line any more. In verse 4:18, he was a heavy man who could not move easily. He did not study God's word deeply and thus could not teach his sons. Of course, his sons could not learn God and just acted as they like. When religious leaders did not know and teach the Bible, Israel people could not have God's word in their hearts. They did not learn the purpose of life. They just lived for them, their family, and for their own good and glory.

God's word is absolute value for people. But those days God's word was rare, and people could not have absolute value system to judge what is right and wrong. So, people did as they liked. It is the same today. People hate the word 'absolute', and want to do as they like. Young students say not to force them to live as Bible tells them. They think they cannot live freely if they live by God's word. They just like to live as they want. Without God's word, there is no standard of our lives. More than that, there is no life, redemption, grace, and all other life giving blessings from God. It is a serious problem that people do not have the absolute word of God in them.

Also, there were not many visions those days. Look at verse 3:1b again. "In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions." Vision has a close relationship with God's word. Without God's word, there can be no vision. Vision is different from human ambition. Ambition comes from what people like or want to achieve. But Vision comes from God which has God and mission in the center. Vision comes out of God's word. Then what does vision do in us?

First, vision helps us to overcome difficulties. God's people can be described as men of vision. Abraham dreamed of numerous descendants to come after him. Isaac believed God would bless him in the very land God told him to stay. Moses believed in the salvation of Israel and challenged Pharaoh to let Israel go. Joshua marched around Jericho in the faith that God would give him a victory. Israel had this great inheritance from their forefathers of faith. They were weak but they overcame difficulties when they had vision from God. God spoke to them and planted his vision in their hearts.

Secondly, vision gives new hope and direction. In Acts Chapter 19, apostle Paul pioneered Ephesus. For 2 years he had taught God's word in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. All the Jews and Greeks in Asia heard God's words. Paul drove out evil spirits. People confessed their evil deeds. Sorcerers burned their scrolls. "In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power." (19:21) Through powerful work of God's word, Paul came to have a vision of conquering Rome with God's word.(20) God gave Paul the vision of bringing good news of salvation for the dying souls.

There are many students on campus. They study hard and do many activities with passion to pioneer their future and prepare for their career. They look better than us. But no matter how hard they try, there is something lacking in them. They may have passion, but not God's vision. They do not know where they are heading for. They live and die in their sins. They do not know they are dying. We should know that people without God's vision are hopeless. We should be their shepherds planting God's vision in them. God called us in UBF and gave his vision for world campus mission. We have a prayer topic to send out 100,000 missionaries by 2041. So, many of us are praying with this topic and making themselves ready to go out. God fulfills his vision because he has given it to us.

We have many problems in our lives. It is not easy to have a vision. But people without vision will perish. Samuel's generation should have been perished because there were not visions. Then what did God do?

2. God called Samuel(3:1-4:1a)

Look at verse 3:1. Samuel served Eli. He slept in the temple of the Lord. Then God called him one night. "Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Here I am." And right away he ran to Eli. "Here I am; you called me." Samuel was ready to answer whenever he was called. Eli told him to go back and lie down because he did not call him. God called Samuel again and he ran to Eli two more times. Then Eli realized God was calling Samuel. Eli gave instruction how to answer God. Look at verse 10. "The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening.""

Who is God appeared to Samuel? He is God of hope who even called young Samuel for his salvation work. When he was called, Samuel was just a little child. Verse 4:7 says, "Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD： The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him." Spiritually and physically he was little and young. He thought Eli was calling him when God appeared to him. And he did not know how to answer God's calling. But God called this little child Samuel. It seems as if God was in a real hurry.

This shows God's burning shepherd heart toward those days. God could not find any hope when he saw Eli and his sons. They were shepherds who liked their titles but were sinful godless leaders. They did not teach the word of truth, and Israel suffered from lack of vision and daily difficulties and sin problems. But God saw little Samuel. He was a young but pure child who was serving God at his temple. The lamp of God was still shining when Samuel was at the temple. God saw great hope to save Israel through this little child Samuel. So he called him, even though he was very young. God calls one person in a difficult time. God calls one little person for his salvation work. Through one young person, God reveals his grace and continues his saving work.

God also calls us to save our generation. We should be encouraged that God chose Samuel and called him to be his servant. If God calls and uses Samuel, he surely can call and use any of us. We all have our own problems and often fall down. We may not be spiritually mature. We are like little children. But we have spiritual desire to love God's word and to serve God. God has a great hope in us and calls each of us personally. He calls us not just once, but until we respond to him saying, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Look at verse 11. The first message God told Samuel was about judgement of Eli. It was a very difficult message for young Samuel to tell his master Eli. But God wanted to keep Samuel from Eli's bad influence and at the same time to grow him as God's messenger. Look at verse 18. Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing. Samuel passed God's first training.

When God calls us, he wants us to be his messengers. When we carry out his mission, we confront many difficulties we do not want to face. Especially, it is not easy to deliver a message of judgement. However, we should listen to God and deliver his message. We should be God's messengers, not sound speakers.

Look at verse 19. Samuel grew up before God. None of his words fell to the ground. By his powerful message, all Israel recognized him as God's prophet. God was training him to be a powerful messenger of his generation. God gave his great vision to Israel through Samuel and proclaimed his message of absolute truth.

While preparing today's message, I found that God is looking for a faithful servant who teaches his word of truth and proclaims his vision. At Samuel's times, God could not find anyone. So he called a little child for his work. For God, experience and age did not matter. These days, I could not spend much time doing church activities as I did as a student. I thought I was apart from God. But I realize God can use me at this very time. The situation does not matter. The situation has always been difficult for everyone. God always looks for a faithful servant who listens to him, puts him first, and delivers his message as it is. God wants to give his vision to our generation. He wants me to answer for his calling. I pray that whatever situation I am in, God may use me for his works, for his vision, and for his glory.

In conclusion, God called young Samuel to save his generation. Like this, God is looking to raise us who will be messengers of our generation. May God speak to us personally through his word. Let's answer our God who calls us in a great hope. "Speak, for your servant is listening."