Samuel Ministered To The Lord

Extracted from Henry Blackaby's Chosen To Be God's Prophet

"Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest." 1 Samuel 2:11

Is there a difference between being called to minister before God and ministering before the people?

The one who serves before God will hear things from God that other people do not hear. He will be like a spiritual watchman on the walls of the people of God, as in the striking passage in Isaiah 62:6-7: "I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."

Ministry to the people will give you opportunity to hear what the people want and what the people say. But if you minister to the Lord you will hear what the Lord says and what the Lord wants.

Can you minister to the people and to the Lord? Absolutely! Service to God does not mean you do not minister to people. But the primary focus is that God called you to Himself to minister to Him. God knows that there are some things He wants to say to His people. God also knows the people will never have a chance to hear from Him unless you get your messages from Him. You will see this as you study God's activity in the life of Samuel. But remember this, Samuel's ministry, as God saw it, was very similar to Ezekiel's. The Scripture states, "As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse - for they are a rebellious house - yet they will know that a prophet has been among them" (Ezek. 2:5); and, "when this comes to pass - surely it will come - then they will know that a prophet has been among them" (Ezek. 33:33). Whether or not the people would ever hear Samuel, they would know a prophet had been among them.