1 Samuel 1-3

March 22

1 Samuel 1-3

Hannah wanted a child but could not seem to get pregnant. She went to God in prayer and through tears begged Him to give her a son and she would give him back to the Lord. God answered her prayer and gave her a son she named Samuel. After Samuel was weaned, Hannah fulfilled her promise and brought Samuel to the temple to be raised in the presence of God assisting the priest, Eli.

Samuel grew up serving the Lord. One night the Lord spoke to Samuel. At first Samuel thought it was Eli calling him, but eventually Eli figured out that the boy was hearing from God. He told Samuel to reply the next time he heard the voice; “speak, Lord for your servant is listening.”

When we spend time with God, we can hear Him when he speaks. We may not hear him audibly, but He will speak to our heart. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, NIV) In the business of life, sometimes it is hard to be still enough to hear the still small voice of God when He speaks to us. Sometimes, we just don’t want to hear what He has to say. We say we want to hear from God, but do we really?

"The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word." (1 Samuel 3:21, NIV) God speaks to us in a still small voice, but He also reveals himself to us through His Word. The bible is the Word of God and if we will spend time in it each day, we will begin to hear that voice speaking to our hearts. Reading the Word also arms us so that we know the voice of God and are not deceived by impostors who are vying for our attention.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13, NIV)