And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord , for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. I Samuel 3:9 Attentive Ear. Samuel had an ear that listened to the Lord. We see evidence of this listening ear when he was working with Eli the priest. The Lord called Samuel in his sleep three times and each time Samuel responded by going to Eli and saying, "Here I am; for you called me." Eli's response to Samuel the first two times essentially was "Go back to bed Samuel, I did not call you." We know that Samuel did not yet know the Lord , nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him . Eli recognizes that the Lord is calling Samuel the third time and tells Samuel to go back to bed but instructs him to respond to the Lord by saying, " Speak Lord, for your servant is listening. " Awaited Call. Samuel did just as Eli instructed and when the Lord called t