Do We Hear God’s Voice?
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was
the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
1 Samuel 3:7
Read 1 Samuel 3:1-7
Day and night Samuel lived in the house of the Lord, the tabernacle. During
the day he helped Eli, and at night he slept in one of the side compartments
of the holy place, adjacent to Eli’s sleeping quarters.
One night, after Samuel had gone to bed, he heard a voice calling him. Thinking
that it was Eli, he ran to Eli’s bedside to ask him why he had called. But
Eli had not called him. This happened twice. We read in verse 7 that Samuel
did not yet know the Lord, and that the Word of the Lord had not yet been
revealed unto him. Samuel had never heard God’s voice before. He did not
know the Lord as he would later, when he was the prophet of the Lord.
Though none of us will serve precisely as Samuel did, there is a lesson for us
in the way Samuel responded to God’s first call. While we may be occupied
with the things of God, we do not always hear His voice; it does not register
with us. Do you hear Him when you read the Bible? How do you go to church
where God’s Word is read and preached? This is the means the Lord uses
to speak to His people. Do you ever hear God’s call in His Word in such a
personal way that it is as if your name is being called? Prayerfully listen to
God’s call to you. We sing in Psalter 322, “Thy word, O Lord, will safely lead,
If in its wisdom they confide.”
Thought: While we cannot literally see God or hear His voice, He speaks to
us through His Word and Spirit.
Psalter 322:1, 2 ,4 (based on Psalm 119)
How shall the young direct their way? What light shall be their perfect guide?
Thy word, O Lord, will safely lead, If in its wisdom they confide.
Sincerely I have sought Thee, Lord, O let me not from Thee depart;
To know Thy will and keep from sin, Thy word I cherish in my heart.
Upon Thy precepts and Thy ways, My heart will meditate with awe;
Thy word shall be my chief delight, And I will not forget Thy law.
