How To Hear God’s Voice
1 Samuel 3:1–10
1 Samuel 3:1–10 (NIV)
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.
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 temple 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 The LORD called Samuel a third time, 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.”
1. Repentance
1 Samuel 2:22 (NIV)
Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
1 Samuel 2:29 (NIV)
Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling?
1 Samuel 2:30 (NIV)
But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.
1 Samuel 2:31 (NIV)
For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them.
Psalm 66:18 (NIV)
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
1st There is the repentance that leads to salvation. (Heaven)
2nd There is the repentance that maintains close relationship with God.
2. Position yourself close to God
1 Samuel 3:3b (NIV)
Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
3. Serve in the house of God
1 Samuel 3:1a (MSG)
The boy Samuel was serving God under Eli’s direction.
4. Listen for God’s voice
> “When I catch the first breath of the Spirit, I leave everything and everybody to be in His presence, to hear what He has to say to me.”
—Smith Wigglesworth, The Secret of His Power, p.84
5. When God calls respond eagerly
1 Samuel 3:7–10 (NIV)
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
8 The LORD called Samuel a third time, 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.”
6. When God speaks obey Him
1 Samuel 16:1–2 (NIV)
1 The LORD said to Samuel, “Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’”
> “Perhaps we don’t hear the voice [of God] because we don’t expect to hear it. But perhaps we don’t expect to hear it because we know that we fully intend to run our lives on our own and never seriously considered anything else. The voice of God would, therefore, be an unwelcome intrusion into our plans.”
—Dallas Willard, In Search of Guidance
7. Read and study God’s Word
1 Samuel 3:21 (NIV)
The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
