God Is Speaking...Can You Hear Him?
1 Samuel 3:1-21
3 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them.14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”
Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”
19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
God Is Speaking…Can You Hear Him?
God is Speaking… Can You Hear Him?
I think listening is one of the most difficult challenges we face today. Let me rephrase that, I think sorting through the many voices that clamor for our attention so we can focus in on what is most important is truly difficult in this day and age. We are constantly bombarded with so much information that it can leave us exhausted, looking for an escape from all the noise.
I have this picture imbedded in my mind of my sister, Nancy, laying on the living room floor as a teenager doing her homework. The TV is on in front of her, the radio is playing in the other room, some of the family is loudly discussing something in the kitchen next door, and I can hear the constant whine of someone mowing the lawn coming through the window. I am coming down the steps of our home and have a clear view of all of this. I stop and wonder, “how can she actually concentrate with all this racket?!” So I asked her.
“Nancy, how can you study in the midst of all this noise?!” I inquired. She looks up at me and responds, “What? Did you say something?” So I repeat the question. “How can you possibly study in the middle of the living room with all this noise around you?!”
She looked at me and casually said, “You just have to tune it out. I’m only focused on my math right now. I guess I didn’t notice it was that loud.” Then she went back to her studies.
I stood there and watched her for a few moments in bewilderment. I was fascinated (and a bit jealous) that she could be so focused on one thing that all other input was just “tuned out”.
I came to realize that I wanted to be so tuned into God that everything else would fade into subtle background noise. One of the disciplines I’ve developed that have helped me tremendously over the years is what the Apostle Paul learned in his walk with Jesus…
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)
This Sunday we are going to learn and practice how to listen to God so we can hear his voice more often!
Grateful,
Pastor John