While Samuel was lying down . . . the Lord called Samuel. . . . And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears." Then the Lord said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle" (1 Samuel 3:3-4, 10-11).
THEME
HEARING GOD
On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first sounds over a single wire. He called to his assistant, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want you."
God has been sending similar messages to humanity ever since He called to Adam in the garden. Sometimes people respond quickly to God, but most often we play deaf.
In the Old Testament the original words for HEAR and OBEY were the same. A person who truly heard was one who also obeyed.
Samuel had a sensitive ear. He not only physically heard God's voice; but as an act of his own will, he obeyed God.
Equestrians call attentive horses ear-brisk. They hear and obey the rider's command.
At the end of His mountainside sermon, Jesus described people who are both hearers and doers as wise builders because they construct a solid life on the rock foundation of God's Word.
God earmarks those who perceive and perform His will.
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APR 15
1 SAMUEL 3:1-10
"Speak, for Your servant hears" (1 Samuel 3:10).
Several years ago when I was in Florida, I would awaken each morning to the cheerful sounds of a mockingbird outside my window. At first, the beauty of his melodies thrilled me, but soon my ears became accustomed to his songs. Then I grew preoccupied and I no longer heard his voice. I had begun to take that feathered songster's sunrise concerts for granted. The fact that I no longer heard them was my own fault. The Mockingbird still sang every morning, but I no longer listened.
A similar situation occurs when we "hear" God speak to us through Scripture. When we are first saved, we faithfully read the Bible and study it diligently. Our hearts are thrilled as we see God's plan unfold throughout its pages. But in time, reading His Word becomes routine and we no longer give our full attention to its message. We become slow in obeying its commands. Sometimes we neglect it entirely. As a result, we no longer "hear" God speak to us. This tragic pattern can develop so slowly that its weakening effects go unnoticed at first. Then one day we suddenly realize what we've been missing. How much better to be like Samuel, who remained attentive and said, "Speak, for Your servant hears" (1 Sa 3:10).
Setting aside time each day to read Scripture, giving full attention to its teaching, and blocking out all distractions will increase our awareness of God's voice and will keep it from becoming mundane.
--R.W.D.
The more we read the sacred pages, the better we know the Rock of Ages.
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APR 16
1 SAMUEL 3:1-15
"Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:7-8).
One summer an annoyed senior citizen from Richmond Heights, Missouri, hung up on President Reagan. He did it not just once but half a dozen times. The elderly gentleman didn't knowingly refuse to talk to the Chief Executive; he just didn't believe that the President was calling him. He was sure it was a prank. But the Southwestern Bell operator and a neighbor finally convinced him it was for real. As a result, the man had the privilege of chatting with Mr. Reagan for about fifteen minutes.
Many centuries ago a young Israelite named Samuel also received a call from a surprising source. He didn't realize who was calling, even when it was repeated. It came from one greater than a president. At first Samuel was perplexed, but when Eli told him God was trying to get through to him, he listened.
We Christians sometimes have the same response when God speaks to us. Deep down in our awareness we may have a thought or conviction that we cannot understand. At first, we may not recognize it as God's voice. Then, when we're convinced it's Him, we're surprised that He would want to speak to us. But God is personal. He wants us to know Him. He has spoken through His written Word, the Bible, and through the living Word, Christ. In addition, He indwells us in the person of the Holy Spirit who enables us to "hear His voice."
God is always trying to get through to us. That means we must always be listening.
--M.R.D.II
There are two kinds of Christians--those who wait on the Lord and those who keep the Lord waiting.
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APR 17
PSALM 62
Power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy
(Psalm 62:11-12).
Disappearing quickly from the news communication world, the Teletype machine is being replaced by high-speed electronic printers. Until recently, the da dacka-dack dak-dak-dak of the Teletype was a common sound in newsrooms and radio stations everywhere. An urgent bulletin was preceded by the sound of ten bells, which signaled a newsflash of highest priority. A columnist writing in the WASHINGTON JOURNALISM REVIEW said, "The Teletype said it all, and when its bells chimed out a 'bulletin' or 'flash,' it was like God clearing His throat."
Sometimes we become so busy and preoccupied with the things of this life that we do not hear God's voice. It's as if He has to shout at us through drastic circumstances to get our attention. How much better to remain spiritually alert so we can hear what God is saying to us at all times. The psalmist was like that. He was attuned to the voice of God. That's why he could say, "Twice I have heard." First, he came to understand that "power belongs to God" for judgment; and second, he found that mercy belongs to Him for salvation.
Today, God speaks to us through the written Word and through the Living Word. The writer of Hebrews said, "God . . . has in these last days spoken to us by His Son" (1:1). As we read of Jesus in the Word, may we be sensitive to the voice of God. If we ask the Spirit to enlighten us, we will "hear" what God is saying to us.
--P.R.V.
There needs to be more fear that we will not hear the Lord than that He will not hear us.
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APR 18
PSALM 46
Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).
Some people can't stand silence. They turn on the radio the minute they're up in the morning and the instant they get into the car. They sit in front of a blaring TV set all evening or have music booming through the house. They have become so adjusted to noise that quietness makes them uncomfortable. As a result, they never hear the sweet, tranquil melodies of nature in the early morning. They never hear the still, small voice of God.
Psalm 46 expresses the blessedness of silent interludes in a noisy world. The writer opens with an affirmation of confidence in the protection of God in the face of destructive forces beyond our power. The psalmist spoke of erupting volcanoes, angry tidal waves, and powerful earthquakes that send great masses of rock tumbling into the sea. Next, he portrays a softly flowing river that distributes its life-giving water throughout the land. This scene is followed by a portrait of violent, antagonistic world powers raging against the Lord but being destroyed. After reviewing God's majestic triumph, the writer then says, "Be still, and know that I am God." The whole psalm is an eloquent call to silence so that we may sense that the Lord is at work amid the clamor and tumult of our restless world.
We can hear God's voice in the soft sounds of nature and in the comforting promises of His Word. He wants to let us know that He is present and in control. But we must be quiet.
--H.V.L.
God still speaks to those who take time to listen.
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APR 19
HEBREWS 5
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).
Sensitivity to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, even in little things that seem harmless, marks the mature Christian. While preaching in a small church in Florida, a young evangelist noticed that his gold wristwatch sparkled in the light. He wrote, "I saw people looking at it. The Lord said to me, 'Take it off. It's distracting.' I said, 'Lord, I can surely wear a wristwatch that my daddy gave me.' But it was sensitivity that God was teaching me--to be sensitive to the little things. I took it off and . . . never wore it in the pulpit again."
It's not always easy to know when God is speaking, because inner urgings may arise from fear, selfish desire, or Satan. Yet if we learn biblical principles through reading the Word, and if we daily yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we will gradually come to recognize His gentle prompting. The writer of Hebrews said that mature believers have had their senses "exercised to discern both good and evil" (5:14). Whatever exalts Christ over self comes from God, and we can obey with confidence. But whatever is unkind, unloving, and self-seeking grieves the Spirit. When we do something like this, we must confess our disobedience to God at once to restore our fellowship with Him.
"Lord, make me sensitive" is a prayer that should always be on our hearts.
--D.J.D.
When we yield ourselves to the Spirit's control, we do not lose our self-control.
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APR 20
HABAKKUK 2:15-20
Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).
A group of British miners in Australia heard the sweet song of a thrush one evening as they worked. The lovely sound hushed these hardened men into absolute silence. In the stillness their hearts became tender as memories of their boyhood days in their beloved England swept over them. Similarly, when we are quiet, God speaks to us most clearly and effectively.
Stepping into the stillness of a cold winter morning and gazing upon fields and buildings coated with dazzling frost or covered with sparkling snow have been unforgettable experiences. During the night, the silvery frost had come silently, its unseen fingers deftly touching the landscape. Or feathery snowflakes had descended without awakening a single soul. The silence of such a moment brings to mind the words of Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God." I would also think of Habakkuk 2:20, "The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him."
God speaks to us during other times of silence as well. Sooner or later we lie sleepless as a result of illness, grief, or anxiety. These can be precious moments of quiet solitude when we tell the Lord we love Him and want Him to speak to us. In the stillness we can learn lessons we'd learn in no other way. We experience a new peace--a fresh sense of His presence. But we need not wait for a sleepless night!
--H.V.L.
The quiet hour is the power hour.
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APR 21
2 PETER 1:16-21
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16).
The apostle Peter wrote two books of the New Testament, yet he realized that he was merely an instrument through which God transmitted His message to people. Peter told his readers that "prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).
In THOUGHTS FOR THE QUIET HOUR, C. H. Spurgeon wrote, "The Bible is the writing of the living God." He explained that though "Moses was employed to write his histories with his fiery pen, God guided that pen. It may be that David touched his harp and let sweet psalms of melody drop from his fingers, but God moved his hands over the living strings of his golden harp. Solomon sang canticles of love and gave forth words of consummate wisdom, but God directed his lips and made the preacher eloquent. If I follow the thundering Nahum, when his horses plow the waters; or Habakkuk, when he sees the tents of Cushan in affliction; if I read Malachi, when the earth is burning like an oven; or the rugged chapters of Peter, who speaks of fire devouring God's enemies; if I turn aside to Jude, who launches forth anathemas on the foes of God--everywhere I find God speaking. It is God's voice, not man's."
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." But more than that, it is God Himself speaking to us.
--R.W.D.
The Bible is the only book whose Author is always present when it is read.
