May 14
I Samuel 1-3
Psalm 59:14-17
Proverbs 13:17-18
John 4
Attentive Listeners
“The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, ‘Samuel, Samuel!’ Samuel responded, ‘Speak, for Your servant is listening.’” I Samuel 3:10 HCSB
This is my prayer so often to the Lord. While I don’t hear an audible voice like Samuel did in this passage, I long to be so attentive to God’s presence in my life that I hear and recognize Him speaking to me. I want to be able to discern His voice so that I can distinguish between the thoughts in my head and the work of His Spirit. I find that the more time I spend with Him every day, the easier it is to recognize His voice. Sometimes He speaks to me through His Word. I will read a passage in the morning that may or may not seem significant at the time and later in the day, He will bring that passage to mind related to a situation I am facing or in response to someone I am talking to. If I had not read that passage it might not have been in my mind to recall. Sometimes during my Bible reading or prayer time He will bring someone to my mind. I have learned that means I should pray for them and then reach out to them. Often, I find out that they have a need, and I am either able to offer encouragement and prayer or provide help in some tangible way. When I ignore that prompting, I miss out on the opportunity to be a part of God’s plan to help them.
A few months ago, on “The View,” Joy Behar made fun of Vice President Mike Pence because in an interview he said that he prays to God every day and then waits to hear from God. She said, “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus, it’s another thing when Jesus talks to you…that’s called mental illness…hearing voices.”⁵ Someone who does not know Jesus personally cannot understand that still small voice described in Isaiah 30:21, “Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’” (NIV) In John 10:27 Jesus tells us, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (HCSB) In Jeremiah 33:3 God says, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know.” (NIV) We have to be very careful and prayerful in discerning God’s voice because we don’t want to claim we have heard from God when we haven’t. But as believers we can and should hear God’s voice giving us direction, guidance, correction, and instruction. It is not a sign of mental illness. It is a sign of a vibrant, personal relationship with Jesus. May we all respond to His call to us with, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
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