“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 called the child” I Samuel 3:8 (KJV).
Being led by the spirit or getting divine guidance is the privilege of all Christians but surprisingly, many Christian still grope in the dark, walking in confusion because they cannot discern the voice of God or understand the way that the Holy Spirit guides or directs. It is one thing to give instruction, it is yet another thing to receive and understand the instruction. God speaks and guides in several ways, it is up to the believer to know how God speaks to him and to develop himself to hear and properly discern the voice.
“My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me”. John 10: 27 (KJV). God will never leave his children in the dark, but like the shepherd, he guides and instructs the sheep leading them to green pasture and protecting them from danger. We need to give attention to God in order to receive direction from him. Most times however, we get so distracted by activities of life and pressure that we fail to give attention to God to receive instructions from him. Worries, cares and anxieties take over our minds making us so noisy in the inside that the still small voice or sign language is not often noticed. We need to be still and quiet in the mind to hear God’s voice. God speaks to us even in a chaotic environments and noisy atmosphere but we must be quiet in the soul to hear him. It is not necessarily the external noise that hinders us from hearing from God but most times it is the internal noise of our own agenda, worries, fears, anxiety and lust.
For Samuel, he has not developed himself to discern God’s voice. He has mistaken God’s voice to be that of Eli. The reason being that he was not used to hearing God. Through the mentorship of Eli, Samuel was able to discern God’s voice. He grew to be one of the greatest prophets in Israel. God speaks through still small voice, inward witness, through the scripture, etc.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to discern your voice always.
Rev. Vincent Diolu