Samuel Was Born and Called
(1 Samuel 1-3)
September 28, 2025
Sunday Recap
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Sunday Recap •
Hey Fams!
First Samuel 1–3 reveals God’s call of salvation and the response of faith that follows for all who belong to Him. In the dark of night, God called to Samuel and invited him to become His prophet who would shed the light of His words to His people. God’s call upon Samuel’s life is one that followers of Christ still respond to today: to trust in Him as the hope of salvation and to lead others to do the same.
How do we see God at work in Samuel’s life? How does trust in the Lord play a recurring role in this story?
Samuel was an answered prayer in his mother’s life. She spent years praying to God for a son whose life she promised to dedicate back to the Lord’s service. She allowed her precious son to grow up in the Lord’s house under the care and supervision of Eli the priest. It was Eli’s instructions to Samuel that prepared the young boy to receive the Word of the Lord and to share it as instructed. Though the call to repentance was not an easy message to share, Samuel did so and grew up to become a prophet. All of Israel knew he walked with the Lord.
From an early age, Samuel was brought up to recognize the Lord and His provision. From the prayers of Hannah to the instructions of Eli, Samuel was led in the ways of the Lord and responded to God’s call with open-handed faith. Samuel’s obedience flowed from His trust in the God of His salvation. He listened to God and dedicated his life to His service. Like Samuel, we can respond to God’s call by placing faith in Jesus, turning from sin, and proclaiming His truth to the world.
Consider the relationship between trust and obedience.
Does your life reflect the truth that God’s ways are good and worthy of your trust? Lead the boys and girls in your care to see the fruit of a faith-filled life in service to God. Show them that, like Samuel, they can begin leading others to follow the Lord in faith.
** Next week: The Ark was Captured (1 Samuel 4-6)
Family Discipleship Plan
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Family Discipleship Plan •
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Read the 1 Samuel 1-3 from the Bible.
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How does it feel when someone knows your name and uses it when they are talking to you?
Research has shown that using someone’s name when talking to them can help build stronger relationships and increase the positive feelings between two people. We all like to be known and to be called by our name.
When God wanted to speak to Samuel, He called to him by name. God continued to speak to and through Samuel. He used Samuel to share His message of salvation to the people of Israel. Just as Samuel was a blessing to Hannah, God blessed the people by speaking His words through Samuel.
God wants us to spend time with Him through prayer and reading the Bible so we can learn to hear His voice. He has spoken wonderful promises and wisdom through His Word, and He wants us to listen so we can trust and obey Him.
While it feels good for someone to call us by name, it is even more thrilling to think that God knows our name. He speaks to us by His Word and through His Spirit, and He calls on us to follow Him.
God called to Samuel, and Samuel responded. God calls people to turn from sin and follow Jesus. Everyone who responds by trusting in Jesus is saved from sin.
Pray:
God, thank You for speaking to us through the Bible and helping us follow You. You love Your people and call them by name to follow You. Help us listen to You and trust You with our lives. Amen. -
Preschool:
God gives us all we need in Jesus.
Older Kids:
My God will meet all your needs. He will meet them in keeping with his wonderful riches. These riches come to you because you belong to Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 NIrV
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Mornings
Praise God for His attributes we see in the story of Hannah and Samuel: His love, His patience, and His provision. How did God show love to Hannah? How did He provide for Hannah? How have you seen these same attributes of God in your life?
Evenings
Ask God to give you faith like Hannah when you pray to Him. Ask Him to help you trust in His ability to hear your prayers and respond to them. Why do you think Hannah trusted God when she prayed? Why can you trust God when you pray?
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For Fun
Have a diaper-changing contest with the family. Use baby dolls or watermelons as the “Baby” and see who can remove and replace a diaper the fastest. Talk about Hannah’s trust in God to answer her prayer and her devotion to give her son back to God for His use. Ask your kids to think about why Hannah trusted God so much and how we can grow in our trust of Him.
To Serve
Deliver a meal, gift, or offer to drop off a cup of coffee for a young mom in your church. Talk with your kids about Hannah’s prayer and how God provided a son for her. Explain how God used Samuel, Hannah’s son, to anoint David as God’s chosen king over Israel and ancestor of Jesus—the King of kings!