THE THIRD TIME

"And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child." (1 Samuel 3:8)

There are several things in Scripture that happened "the third time." Three times king Saul sent messengers that prophesied (1 Sam 19:21). Elijah had the sacrifice on Mount Carmel covered with water three times (1 Kgs 18:34). On the night of His betrayal, Jesus prayed agonizingly in the garden three times (Matt 26:44). Three times Pilate asked the people what wrong Jesus had done (Lk 23:22). After His resurrection, Jesus showed Himself to His disciples three times (John 21:44). Three times Jesus asked Simon Peter if he loved Him (John 21:17). Paul asked the Lord three times to remove a debilitating thorn (2 Cor 12:8). There is a kind of persistence in the Kingdom of God that finds things repeated, even three times. Our text is another case in point. It concerns Samuel, who was only a boy at the time. He was a gift from God in answer to his mother's prayer, and after she weaned him, she gave him back to the Lord. He was raised up in the house of the Lord, ministering "unto the Lord before Eli" the priest (3:1). During that time, the Word of God was scarce. In fact, it is written, "And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation." NKJV Couple that with Samuel's tender youth, and it did not appear likely he would actually receive a word from the Lord. Eli the priest was getting old, and "he could barely see" NIV (v 2). But all of this did not stop the Lord from breaking through the silence of the time, and the dark of the night, to speak to young Samuel. Three times He called Samuel, and three times the young boy answered "Here am I." All three times, Samuel thought Eli was calling him. Obediently he stood before Eli, asking what he wanted him to do. The first two times, Eli simply said he had not called the boy, telling him to "lie down again." But the third time, Eli recognized the Lord was calling Samuel. He instructed the lad to lie down again. If the Lord called once more, he was to quickly respond by saying, "Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth." The Spirit tells us why Samuel had to be told how to respond. "Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him" (v 7). Samuel then received the message. It may be that the Lord is calling you–the third time. Perhaps your lack of acquaintance with Him has prompted His gracious call "the third time."  If you sense He is calling you, tell Him you are listening, and are seeking for His direction. You will not be disappointed.