"Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth" 1 Samuel 3:9 (Read 1-10)
When the LORD God called young Samuel, Samuel did not recognize the voice of the LORD and ran three times to Eli, saying, "Here am I." We are told that Samuel failed to recognize the LORD's voice because he did not yet know the LORD (v. 7).
Finally, Eli realized that it was the LORD calling Samuel and directed him to go lie down and, if He heard the voice again, to reply, "Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth." And when the LORD came again, Samuel was given a message concerning God's coming judgment upon Eli and his sons.
Today, I ask you if you recognize the voice of the LORD God calling to you.
Now, many might expect God to talk to them directly or to have Him whisper in their ear or their heart; but that's not necessary and those who expect it open themselves up to self deception or even the voice of Satan and his evil angels who love to present themselves as angels of light (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14). God has clearly chosen to speak to us another way -- in His written and recorded Word, the Bible -- and that should always be the first place we go to hear God speaking to us, as well as to confirm that any other nudges or urgings we might feel are really from God Himself.
The Bible tells us that the Scriptures are God-breathed -- God speaking to us -- and the Scriptures reveal to us the salvation God provided for us in His Son and also how God would have us live as His redeemed children (cf. 2 Tim. 3:14-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21). Through the Bible, God speaks to us, revealing our sinful and lost condition and offering to us forgiveness and life through faith in Christ Jesus and the redemption He accomplished for all when He suffered and died upon the cross for our sins and rose again the third day (cf. Rom. 3:19-26). And, through the Bible, God also teaches and guides us that we might know His will and live for Him (cf. Ps. 119:9-11; 105).
Indeed, it is true that most don't recognize God calling them through the Bible. They consider it nothing more than the voice of men. But that is because they do not yet know the LORD and sit humbly before His Word and say, "Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth."
God is calling you, speaking to you! Don't expect an audible voice or a miraculous appearance. He's already come to us in His Son, and He calls us through His written Word. Listen. Read. Pray that the LORD would open your ears to hear and to believe His Word.
Open my ears, LORD; and "Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth." Amen.
[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible. More devotions at www.goodshepherdrogers.org.]
Community on 01/21/2015