The story of the boy Samuel in 1 Samuel 3 starts with this interesting observation, “Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.”
Sounds kinda familiar, doesn’t it? Our world sometimes seems to think it has outgrown God and no longer needs His guidance. At the same time, the lives of those who claim to have a message from Him more often than not don’t match up to their words. As for us average Joe’s and Jane’s, our lives are so busy, with so many distractions and demands, that hearing God speak amidst all the noise seems well nigh impossible. Yet, even with all our frantic running around, we know something is missing. Sometimes we’d give almost anything to hear God whisper in our hearts, “Peace. Be still.”
So what’s a person to do? How can we hear God’s voice in the midst of all the noise? The answer is we need to Stop, Look, and Listen. This is how Samuel was able to hear God speak and it will work for you and I too.
Stop – 1 Samuel 3:3 (NLT) says, “Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. No, I’m not advocating sleeping in church, but to hear God’s voice we need to put ourselves in situations where He’s most likely can be found. For some this might be church while for others it might be out in the beauty of nature. Wherever your quiet place is, you need to go there regularly to meet with God.
Look – Look for a guide. Verse 7 says, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before.” Samuel heard God speak, but he had no idea who it was. Confused, he went to Eli. Now Eli wasn’t exactly on speaking terms with God right then, but he knew God well enough to recognize what was happening. Sometimes, consulting with a godly friend or mentor can help us learn to listen better too.
Listen – Once he realized, with Eli’s guidance, what was happening, Samuel listened for God to call again. When He did, Samuel was ready. He replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” Then he did just that – he listened and he kept listening for the rest of his life.
God is still speaking. He’s still calling. He’s still looking for Samuel’s in our day and age. You can be one of them, if you will just remember to Stop, Look, and Listen everyday. And when you hear Him call your name, be ready to reply, “Speak, Lord, I am listening.”