Call to Ministry is a Call to Prayer (Samuel)

When we launched our ministry work in Poland, we were seeking to help churches develop life-changing children’s ministry.

Our basic approach was found in Deuteronomy 6. It included elements like relational ministry, experiential teaching, creative Bible teaching, small group discussions and giving children the opportunity to respond to that teaching in their real lives.

It was so paradigm-shifting that we were asked to create Polish Bible teaching materials with these elements. What I knew about curriculum publishing would have filled a thimble. 

Someone told me that I should go to the Frankfurt book fair, the largest in the world and connect with Christian publishers who would be present. We accepted the counsel and headed to Germany.

Little did we know that there was “no room at the inn” in Frankfurt or anywhere within 100 kilometers. We slept in the van all night and went to a session the next day led by George Verwer, the well-known founder of Operation Mobilization (OM). He had been publishing worldwide longer than I had been alive.

After an amazing presentation, my colleague and I were loitering in the back of the room when George Verwer walked up and introduced himself to us. We knew who he was! He had just led a seminar to hundreds of people.

However, he introduced himself with genuine humility. He didn’t think he was the most important person in the room. He asked all about our ministry work in publishing and asked me for my contact information. I gave it to him and then he prayed for us. Pretty awesome!

About two weeks later I got a short letter from George Verwer asking me to send him an update on our ministry work and ways that he could pray for me.

OM had over 1,500 staff members serving around the world, and I was not one of them. The President and Founder of that enormous missionary organization was writing me asking for prayer requests.

I was amazed. But not amazed enough I am ashamed to report. I forgot to reply, and weeks went by.

Then I got a postcard from George with another request for ministry updates and prayer needs. It was handwritten on a postcard from Brazil. George thought I might not have received the letter. I was so “busy” I had forgotten to respond to the letter.

After all, we had nine staff members in Poland and there was a lot going on. I was mortified……. but not mortified enough. I am ashamed to write that I let the response slip out of my mind. 

A month letter I received a handwritten note from George. He knew the Polish mail system was going through changes and so was trying again.

This time he wrote that he and his wife had traveled to South Africa and had returned home to England and were jet lagged. In the middle of the night, they were praying for God’s work around the world, including our work in Poland and …………. would love to get updates and prayer requests.

This time I was so humiliated that I responded immediately. 

Recounting that story is painful for me. George Verwer understood something that I had to learn. A call to ministry is a call to prayer.

As we will see, this leadership principle is woven through Scripture. Loving children as I do, Samuel is the first example chosen.

What Samuel’s Calling Teaches Us About Leadership and Prayer

During our decade in Poland, we took a large number of guests to Auschwitz, located about forty miles away.

It was always emotional, and we have countless memories of how the visit affected different people.

On one occasion we had a group from California. We were leaving the barracks building where death sentences were passed down followed by executions in the adjacent courtyard.

We had already been through the barracks with rooms of shoes, luggage, and eyeglasses. As we walked out of the courtyard one of the kids in the group said, “This makes me hate Germans!”

It was an emotional response to a horrific experience and just as one of the adults was about to respond an older boy in the group said, “That’s the kind of thinking that built this place.” Silence followed.

Young people have a knack for saying things that can be straight to the point and unvarnished. It was this quality that underlies the calling of Samuel as a young boy.

After the death of Joshua, Israel went through a repeated cycle of rebellion and renewal with a series of judges leading the people of God.

Samuel’s birth comes at the end of that period with Samuel ushering in Israel’s monarchy. His birth narrative alerts the reader that his life is one of spiritual destiny.

His early years are characterized by personal godliness as the author contrasts that quality with the sinfulness of Eli’s sons.

I Samuel 3 is dedicated to Samuel’s calling. 

The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days, the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. One-night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. A third time the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" 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. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family-- from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'" Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son." Samuel answered, "Here I am." "What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you." So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes." The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. And Samuel's word came to all Israel. (1 Sam. 3:1-4:1 NIV)

During the night God calls out to Samuel on three separate occasions (vv. 4, 6 and 8). In each case Samuel does not recognize the voice of the LORD and thinks it to be Eli, the Priest of the temple where Samuel lives.

Finally, with Eli’s help he returns and the fourth time, Samuel responds with the well-known words, “Speak for your servant is listening” (vv. 11-14). God in turn divulges to Samuel a prophecy that will wrack the house of Eli. After some gentle coaxing, Samuel reveals the prophecy to Eli. 

From that point forward Samuel is attested as a prophet (vs. 20) speaking with the kind of spiritual authority we have looked at earlier. God revealed himself to Samuel and Samuel faithfully communicated on God’s behalf to all of Israel (vs. 21).

In this passage we find a communication pattern common throughout the other calling narratives in the Bible. God speaks to the leader. The leader listens to God. The leader speaks to God and God listens.

At the risk of sounding simplistic, this kind of communication between God and a human has a name……. prayer. 

Prayer certainly has a rich and varied meaning associated with worship, thanksgiving, intercession, supplication, and confession. This wider meaning makes prayer a common element of discipleship, both for leaders and followers.

In Samuel’s calling and the calling of other leaders’ communication between God and the leader is within the very nature of their leadership calling.

In this sense prayer is present at the calling and as we see with Samuel it is a continuing element of their leadership. This is not confined to Samuel but rather common to leaders throughout Scripture.

Effective Christian leadership means dedication to prayer. Prayer becomes a kind of DNA to the body of a leader. 

Going forward we will refer to this as “leadership prayer.” 

Samuel’s dedication to prayer is shown in his communication with God, beginning with his calling, continuing through his ministry and evidenced at crucial moments.

In his battle with the Philistines, he called out to the LORD and God answered him (I Samuel 7:9). God spoke to Samuel in crowning Saul, Israel’s first king (I Samuel 9:15).

When the Israelites rejected his leadership and requested a king, Samuel prayed, and God spoke directly to him regarding the matter (1 Samuel 8:4-9).

These are a few examples of the kind of intimate communication that Samuel experienced as a leader. His calling was in prayer, understood as communication with God. Prayer characterized his leadership going forward.

Before moving on we should note how crucial this kind of communication was. Prayer was like the headwaters of Samuel’s flowing prophetic teaching ministry.

Samuel’s ministry is characterized as being fueled by communication with God. God spoke to Samuel, and he delivered that message to Israel.

God did not call Samuel and then leave him to struggle in discerning God’s Word going forward. God gave insight, direction, and teaching material to Samuel.  

This is one of the crucial elements in leadership prayer. God does not call leaders into ministry, making sure that they have a good Bible translation and then leave them to speak on His behalf.

Prayer is a key ingredient for the crafting of good Bible teaching. 

You are hard pressed to find a Christian book on exegesis, Bible interpretation or personal Bible study that does not advocate beginning the process with prayer by asking God to give the leader insight and discernment, both in understanding the text and communicating it to others. Leaders are seeking to influence God’s people towards His purposes for them. 

A call to ministry is a call to prayer, to ask God for guidance in communicating accurately and effectively on His behalf. Naturally, this was perfectly manifested in Jesus’ leadership.