LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL

By Pastor Mensa Otabil

Saturday 4th July 2026

THE RIGHT COUNSEL

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place._  *1 Samuel 3:8-9*

The Lord spoke to Samuel when he was both young in age and young in ministry. When God spoke, Samuel could hear the sound but could not tell the source of what he was hearing. Every time Samuel heard God's voice, he thought it was his mentor, Eli, speaking. He made that mistake a few times till Eli gave clear guidance to Samuel concerning how to receive from God.

Like Samuel, sometimes we need a mature Christian to counsel us in the way of the Lord because people can be in the church for a long time or even be ministers and yet not be godly or wise. Eli was a godly and wise counsellor to Samuel.

Eli was obviously a man who knew the Lord intimately and had heard His voice many times in the past. He understood spiritual protocols relating to the voice of the Lord. Samuel had to say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’ In that statement, Samuel established three things.

- Relationship.

 Eli told Samuel to call the one who had been speaking to him, 'Lord.' Samuel knew the Lord from training but did not have a personal relationship with Him; he didn't know the Lord. Now, he accepted the God of his fathers as his personal Lord. The lesson here is that we must know the Lord on an individual basis and not through others.

- Request.

Eli told Samuel to ask the Lord to speak. In the first instance, the Lord had taken the initiative to talk to Samuel; now Samuel took the initiative to ask the Lord to speak. Our communication with God is two-way; He says something to us, and we talk back to Him. The lesson here is that though God wants to do some things for us, we have to ask Him to do them for us.

- Readiness.

Eli told Samuel to indicate to the Lord that he was now ready to receive His message. The young man who had grown in the tabernacle serving under a mentor was now ready for his spiritual inauguration. In the past, Samuel heard from God through the words of Eli; now he was ready to hear directly from God. The lesson here is that our readiness allows the Lord to take the next step with us.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, give me godly counsellors who will help me to know you better. In Jesus' name, Amen.