Hearing God's Voice

1 Samuel 3:1-10 3 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 house 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 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” 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.” One of the greatest joys I have as a Pastor and a father is to help others to understand that voice of the Lord in their lives. Samuel had not yet heard the voice of the Lord and was not sure who was calling him so he went the person who most sounded like the one calling him, Eli. Eli was his mentor, his guide and a voice that must have sounded much like the voice that was calling. Eli's voice sounded much like the voice of the Lord. To me that is awesome and Eli finally recognized what was going on and directed Samuel to the one true Lord. What an amazing opportunity and what an amazing role to play in someones life. Helping direct others to hear the voice of the Lord. Being able to do this means that I have to be in tune with the Lords voice. It means that I need to be spending time in prayer and studying God's Word so that I understand when He speaks. This is the greatest privilege I have as a parent is to help my kids hear the voice and God and then be willing to listen and obey. If my children are able to hear the voice of God and are willing to listen then their lives will be directed in a way that honors God and strikes a blow to sin and makes an impact in this world for Christ.