The Many Voices

When the boy Samuel heard the Voice calling his name in the dark, he had no idea it was the Voice that belonged to the Lord.  After all, he was just a boy.  Boys are not experienced in such things.  Secondly, though a boy, he did a very adult thing.  He jumped to the conclusion that it had to  be Eli calling him.   After all, no other explanation made any sense. It never really occurred to him that it was the Lord speaking.  He simply had no expectation that such a thing would or, even, could happen.

 

With all this being true, the boy Samuel still had an advantage most of us do not have as we deal with the Voice of the Lord speaking to us.  His advantage was in the man in the next room.  After the third time Samuel came to him, Eli said, "Go, lie down; and if He (the Lord) calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.' "  (I Samuel 3:9)  What gave Samuel an edge most of never have was someone telling him the Voice belonged to the Lord.

 

It is not always easy for us to discern that the Voice of the Lord is speaking to us.  Even after we decide that the Lord does still speak to folks like you and me and even after we start praying with an expectation that His voice can be heard, it can still be a difficult and confusing moment.  What makes it so difficult is the reality of the many voices we might hear.  The voice we hear may be our own voice speaking the word we want to hear.  Or, it may be voice that speaks the opinion of a trusted friend.  It could even be a voice which speaks to what our culture around us wants us to hear.  Not only do we have to learn discernment, but we also have to learn to trust the Holy Spirit to guide us in into this new spiritual discipline of listening.