Listening to the Lord's Voice

Listening to the Lord's Voice

1Sa 3:9-10 NLT - [9] So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, `Yes, LORD, your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went back to bed. [10] And the LORD came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Yes, your servant is listening."

Biblical history informs us that those men and women on whom God took the most favor have generally been individuals willing to listen to His voice. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and an innumerable collection of others all succeeded in accomplishing the Lord's will because they listened to Him. Here in 1 Samuel, we see a rather unique example of that. Samuel is called up from bed three times by the Lord. Finally, after Eli realizes this is the voice of the Lord calling Samuel, he instructs the boy to “[g]o and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say 'Yes, LORD, your servant is listening.'” What wise advice. The man or woman who wishes to do the Lord's work must be willing to listen to His voice. What man goes to learn a subject while putting headphones in his ears while the professor is lecturing? What does one expect to learn from a sermon if he is too busy catching up on his sleeping deficiencies, or too unwilling to go altogether?

In this same manner, it is of critical importance that the Christian be willing to listen to the Lord's voice. Like Samuel, we need men and women who lie down at night asking the Lord to work through them. People just waiting to hear a message from God. When the Lord calls, “Samuel! Samuel!”, are we willing to reply, “Yes, your servant is listening?”

And yet we live in a world filled with such noise--“Cling and Clatter” one lyricist put it. Our music gets louder and louder every year. Our little iPods are maxed out at full volume. Our tweets and social networks and televisions are all blaring. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, so long as we are able to draw away from it and listen to the Lord. I encourage all of us to take some quiet time to spend with the Lord. Turn of the television or stereo, draw away from the crowds, and spend some time listening to the Lord's voice. I feel like too many times we spend so much time telling God the things we want and need, that we forget that conversation is a two-way street. What is the Lord speaking to us? Not only will you receive instruction from the Lord, you will be relieved. The stress of life will not seem so burdensome. You will learn things from the Scripture, from life's lessons, and your relationships with others. You will learn how you've been acting lately, and what you need to work on. Yes, listening to God's voice also means listening to our own heartbeat. What is our heartbeat saying? Are we doing the Lord's work? I encourage you to spend some time each day to listen to God. The chaos of the modern world will suddenly be transposed into the ordered, peaceful harmony of a world where we are in tune with Christ and His will. Amen.

With love in Christ,

Austin Aldrich