1 Samuel 3:1-10

Remember answering a phone before caller ID? Those were wild times, weren’t they?

Answering a ringing phone attached to a wall, with no idea who was on the other end. It could be anyone! A friend, a grandparent, or, worst of all, a pesky telemarketer calling just as you were about to sit down for dinner.

Although you didn’t know who it was before you answered, if it was your spouse or a close friend, you knew it was them the moment you heard their voice.

Check out how Samuel responds when he gets a “call” in the middle of the night.

It takes Eli's guidance for Samuel to realize it was God speaking. Like Samuel, we can also learn to recognize the voice of God in our lives.

Here are a couple of ways to do that:

1. Spend time with God in prayer. Just as we recognize the voices of those we spend time with, spending time in prayer cultivates intimacy with God. Through prayer, we open ourselves to hear His voice and deepen our relationship with Him.

2. Spend time in the Word. Knowing what God HAS said will give us confidence in what He IS saying to us today.

God is always speaking; we just aren’t always listening. Ask God to speak to you today. As you embrace a listening posture, you may be surprised by all the ways God can speak to you.

Like Samuel, may we be people who know and respond to his voice.