1 Samuel 3:2-10 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.”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.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.”Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.The Lord called Samuel a third time, 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.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.The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Now we're back to that thorny problem of God speaking to us audibly which people really don't like to talk about. As you can see from these verses, He does do this. He did it then, and He does it now. How can I say that for sure?
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Malachi 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Notice in the above passage that the Lord doesn’t just call Samuel once and then give up. He keeps calling Him until Samuel realizes who it is and responds. That’s how the Lord is with us as well. Another point to ponder is that Samuel did not yet know the Lord personally when God spoke to Him. It was God’s call to him now that began his personal relationship with the Lord. One last point to think about is that the Lord called him personally, by name. This shows us yet again that the Lord has always been a “personal God”. He has always wanted a personal relationship with each of us, and He knows us each by name.
Now the scriptures from Samuel are not the only ones that show the Lord speaking aloud to people, they were just the easiest to show here for this purpose. The Lord speaking to people audibly was totally acceptable and not questioned back during the Old Testament times. As we noted before, it’s society that has taught us that this is something to be skeptical of and afraid of. However, unbelievers will always be skeptical as they have no understanding of the spiritual things of God.
Does God speak audibly frequently? I honestly don't know, but I rather doubt it. Now days, hearing God’s voice audibly seems to be a rare occurrence. Of course it's entirely possible that is because people are afraid to talk about it! Those who have heard Him speak to them audibly say that it's certainly something they will never forget! Remember though it's not so important "how" He speaks to you. What's important is that you be ready and spend time listening so that you hear what He has to say to you!
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| Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) . All Rights Reserved. |
