More on Listening

Hearing the voice of the Lord might be a bit more difficult than simply saying, "Speak, (Lord), for Your servant is listening."  (I Samuel 3:10).  We sometime overlook the fact that the Lord spoke to Samuel three different times before he was able to know Who was speaking.  It is also true that the only reason he did hear was because his spiritual mentor helped him put himself in a position where he was open to hearing.  The story told there in the third chapter of the first book of Samuel tells us that recognizing the voice of the Lord is not as easy for most of us as opening a window.   

One of the first things which has to happen if we are to hear the voice of the Lord is to be convinced that He really does speak to us.  As James the Apostle warns us, we cannot be double minded.  Either it is true that God speaks to us, or He does not speak.  Like so many matters of faith, there can be no standing on the fence. If we have doubts, then we will live with expectations and an experience that reflect this spiritual confusion.  Exactly how we rid ourselves of this spiritual confusion is likely to vary with each one of us.  

If we are not sure about God speaking and our hearing, we will finally have to come to an act of personal faith that is unwavering.  Along the way we can read the Scripture and note the many instances of God speaking to folks like you and me.  Reading the Word will open our hearts and minds to the possibilities others know as reality.  For most of us who want to move into this new dimension of our prayer life, it may take some time.  Some patience.  Some persistence.  Some practice.  A faith that does not turn from believing what the Word of God proclaims.