Prayer & FastingSample

Great and immeasurable things were in store for the people of this time. Samuel was one of the many representatives of the voice of God to His people during this period; these people were called prophets. They spoke the will of God to the people of God.

We see here that God began to speak to Samuel, but Samuel was unaware that it was God speaking. It took an active hunger and receptivity to discern that this voice was indeed the voice of God. First, it took a wise teacher, one who knew the voice of God, to help call it out. Then it took obedience, the kind of obedience that says, “I will wait on my God until He speaks, until I hear the voice I am longing for.”

Listening, then, is active. Samuel had to remain alert in order to hear this voice again and be prepared to respond. This active posture is what we must be prepared for. No awakening or revival takes place merely so that we can feel good or have a temporary encounter. It happens so that we may go out and make Christ known to the world.

Samuel was not listening for personal gain or good feelings; he was listening so that the people of God might be built up. He was listening so that the voice of God would be heard by all of His people.

Now, we do not need prophets to speak a general word among the people of God in the same way, for we have the Holy Spirit, who reveals Jesus to us. As the Spirit reveals Jesus, we begin to live like Jesus. He begins to move in and through us. No longer are we waiting on God as though He were distant or separate. God is now closer than ever through His Spirit. He stands before us, and we must respond.

These are the words of Christ Himself to the church. The church to whom this was written was willingly ignorant. They were so caught up in themselves that there was no room for God. They could not see God; they did not know Him, because they were in the way.

So how do we hear this voice? How are we guided by God?

We must first move beyond ourselves, and then we move into Christ. Just as Samuel did, we must sit and wait, saying, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”

Being in Christ and hearing His voice requires awareness and focus on Him. There is no room for self in this. If we want to hear the voice of God, we must be willing to sit, wait, and expect.

And when God speaks, we must be willing to act. We must be able to hear His voice and allow it to empower us to bring Christ into the world.

Here are some challenges to take on after reading this;

• Take some time and sit in silence. Call out to God, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”
• Set a timer for 5 minutes and wait. No music, no voices, just silence
• Trust that God’s voice will break through this silence
• If He speaks, then move, obey. If not, wait on Him; He is faithful to speak to those who listen.