1 Samuel 3:5
And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
Three words are the reason that God used Samuel in a great way. Samuel was just a boy, but three words revealed the heart of this man. He was asleep at night and he heard a voice. Thinking this was Eli calling him, he ran to him and said, “Here am I.” Three times Samuel heard this voice, and all three times he ran to the preacher and said, “Here am I.” It was the fourth time he heard this voice that he said, Speak, for thy servant heareth. Samuel would have never had the heart to tell the LORD to speak because he was listening if he didn't have the heart to say, “Here am I.”
God is looking for people with the heart to say, “Here am I.” It is not that God won’t use people; it is that people don't have the heart to be willing to say to God, “Here am I.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. God is willing to use anybody who is willing to be used. When reading the Scriptures, you will find that God used people who were willing. God used a young David who was willing to be used to kill a giant who was slandering his God. God used a stuttering Moses who was willing to be used. God used a Joshua who was willing to follow every place his preacher went because he wanted to be used. The key to God using anyone is if they are willing to say, “Here am I.” This phrase is important to being used for a few reasons that I want to point out to you.
First, you cannot say, “Here am I,” unless you are where the I Am is. Samuel could say, “Here am I,” because he was where God could speak to Him. You can't expect God to use you if your life is unavailable for God to use. God called Samuel because he was where the I Am was. If you are not walking with the I Am in the Scriptures, it is unlikely you will hear His voice when He calls. If you are not walking in prayer with the I Am, it is improbable that you will hear His voice when He calls. If you are not in church for every service, it is doubtful that your ears will be tuned to hear the call of God in your life. You have to be where the I Am is to hear His voice when He calls.
Second, you cannot say “Here am I” unless you are willing to say “Here am I” to the Preacher that God has placed in your life. Samuel was close to his preacher, and that is why God was able to call him. Look in the Scriptures, and you will find that many who were used by God were by the man of God. David stayed close to Nathan the prophet. Elisha stayed close to Elijah. Joshua stayed close to Moses. The apostles stayed close to Jesus. Paul stayed close to Barnabas. Each of these people were used because they were available for their preacher to use them. When God sees that you are available for the preacher to use you, He will see that you are available for Him to use you.
Third, before you can say, “here am I,” you must be willing to say, “I am here.” Availability is always the key to God using anyone. God will use anyone who is available for His use, but they must have an available mindset for God to use them. Samuel was there to be used for any purpose, and that is the key for God to use you. Be there for God, and you will be able to say “here am I” to God’s call for the great purpose that He has planned for your life.