A Still, Small Voice

Reading from the Book of 1Samuel 3:1-10

1Samuel 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. ² And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; ³ And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; ⁴ That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. ⁵ And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. ⁶ And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. ⁸ And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. ⁹ Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. ¹⁰ And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

When God started calling to Samuel, Samuel thought that his master, Eli, was speaking to him. Both times Eli said to Samuel, "I did not call you." After this happened a third time, Eli finally realized God was calling Samuel. God spoke to Samuel in a voice that was familiar to him so that he would not be frightened.

When God speaks to us, He does not usually boom from heaven. Often He speaks to us through what His Word calls "a still, small voice" that comes from our inner man (our conscience). In such situations we may think we are talking to ourselves, but God's words in our spirit are always filled with a wisdom that we could never have on our own.

God speaks to us in many different ways. Many people think they do not hear from God because they are looking for some kind of supernatural manifestation that is not likely to happen. God speaks to our hearts. God also speaks through wisdom and common sense. He does not lead us to do foolish things. He speaks to us through His Word and never tells us to do things that go against His Word. He speaks to us through other people and even our circumstances.

I encourage you to begin to ask God to speak to you and then listen to His voice. He has so many good things to say to you. Listen to His still, small voice.