Devotionals by Dr. M. Craig Barnes
Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. --
When the Lord called young Samuel in the sanctuary, he thought it was the high priest Eli who was speaking. Three times the Lord called, and three times Samuel went running into Eli saying, "Here I am, for you called me." Finally, Eli figured out what was going on. So he taught Samuel how to listen, and respond, to the call of the Lord. Samuel already had the right words, and he was certainly trying to respond. But he was responding to the wrong person.
We all need an Eli in our lives. His role is to teach us first how to worship, and secondly how to respond to the call of God upon our lives. Today we may call Eli a mentor or a spiritual director. In previous years we would have called him a discipler, teacher, or best of all - a priest. The job of the priest is not to draw people to himself, or herself, but to the calling of God. None of us can discern God's call on our own. When we try that we just get confused because we are more accustomed to listening to what human voices are calling us to be and do. But the priest can train our ears to listen to the persistent, still small voice of God.
It doesn't matter how old you are, you never outgrow your need to have a priest. Or to be one for someone else. Giving someone to God is a part of every holy calling. So who is your Eli? And for whom are you Eli?
-- Craig Barnes