“And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. 9Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.” I Sam. 3:8-9
Though Eli had drifted from God he still had some spiritual sense. He perceived that the Lord was calling Samuel. Even more important, Eli had wisdom. He didn’t tell Samuel to quick get busy and do something for God. He told him to “Go, lie down:” Ministers can be guilty of wanting to send saints out to do something before they ever learn to rest before the Lord. We all need to hear His voice and rest before Him, then we can be effective for Him. After all, Jesus called all those that are weary and heavy laden to come and find rest.