here to help and encourage students sensing a
call to ministry

---

How do I know I am called?

By Joyce Ashcraft

Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." And the LORD said to Samuel: "See I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle." - 1 Samuel 3:10-11

Samuel grew up in the synagogue. He was under the charge of a priest named Eli who taught him the ways of God. When he first heard God's voice, he did not recognize the source of the summons. He thought it was Eli who called out to him. Eli, being wise, recognized the voice of God and pointed Samuel in that direction.

It is not surprising that Samuel heard God's call. His whole life had been a journey of serving God, being a disciplined learner, and preparing for whatever future God had for him. However, those things alone do not constitute a calling to serve as a minister. Even so, there was a stirring in his spirit that let him know there was more that God wanted from him. This stirring and Eli's instruction to listen enabled him to hear God's call on his life.

How about you? Are you listening? Is there a stirring in your spirit that comes from God - a compelling voice calling you to move in a particular direction to be a pastor, a youth minister, a missionary, or some other vocational service? The next time you hear that voice, respond to God by saying, "Lord, speak to me. I am listening and ready to serve you in any way you call me to serve."