Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel, Samuel." Then Samuel said, "Speak, for you servant is listening."
1 Samuel 3:10
One of the most important lessons that you and I can learn is how to listen to God. Living with a hectic schedule, nothing is more urgent, nothing is more necessary, nothing is more rewarding, than hearing what God has to say to us. God always speaks to us from His word. But he can also speak to us through our circumstances, through our surroundings, through other people (adults and children), but we have to slow down long enough to hear him.
God is not a speechless God. He speaks to us in various ways. He speaks to us plainly.
In 1 Samuel 3 we learn how young Samuel learned to listen to God. His lessons are our lessons. Let me point out a few listening lessons.
1 Samuel 3: 1 - The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
Samuel worked in the Temple for the priest, Eli. He did menial tasks. Lighting lamps, probably keeping the place clean. He was an intern. The key lesson here is that Samuel served the Lord even though the spiritual climate was pretty dry. The word of the Lord was a rare thing. What a lesson for us - Serving the Lord helps us hear from the Lord. If I am doing something to serve the purposes of God, I am more likely to hear from Him. As someone said, "Try even if it's dry."
1 Samuel 3:3 - The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
Here's another great listening lesson from our young intern. Samuel was lying down very near to the ark of the covenant. The ark of God represented the presence of God. Samuel wanted to be close to God's presence. The lesson is simple. Staying near to God helps me hear from God. The closer I am to God the more he communicates with me. As David said, "Be still and know that I am God." I need to make sure that I am cultivating some quiet into my life. Charles Spurgeon refers to these as "sacred sittings." Are you incorporating sacred sittings into your life?
1 Samuel 3:10 - The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel, Samuel." Then Samuel said, "Speak, for you servant is listening."
The Lord tried to speak to Samuel three times that night. After the third attempt, Eli wisely instructs Samuel to invite the Lord to speak to him. What a great lesson! Everyday we should be asking the Lord in humility to speak to us. Pray this prayer before you read the Word, "Speak, Lord, for you servant is listening." When we invite the Lord to speak into our lives it reminds us of our dependence on him. It reminds us that we humbly need his guidance, his wisdom, his truth to order our day.
1 Samuel 3:19 - The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.
This is a metaphor that tells us Samuel took the words of the Lord seriously. He respected them. He obeyed them. He didn't carelessly let the word of God fall to the ground. He acted upon the words of the Lord. Here's the lesson - when God says something to you, Do it!
God has something to say to us. Are you listening?Are you obeying? Will you pray this prayer with me? Speak Lord, your servant is listening.
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