I wrote you the other day that I was teaching from the book of first Samuel.  It is one of the stories we learned in church if you went to Sunday School when you were young.  Kind of like David and Goliath, Noah and the ark, etc.  I wondered what this story in our Bible was supposed to teach me.  It is interesting.  It is informational.  But I have had a hard time figuring out what I was supposed to learn from it.

You recall that during the night, Samuel heard a voice calling his name.  So he got up and went into the room where Eli was sleeping and said, "You called me?"  This happened three times, and three times Eli said that he didn't call Samuel.  So finally, Eli gave Samuel some guidance when Eli realized that God was speaking.   He sent Samuel back to his room and told  Samuel to say, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

I decided that the message that we are supposed to get from this story is that sometimes we aren't familiar with the voice of God.   God wants to speak to our hearts and we don't recognize His voice.

Sometimes it comes from someone like Eli.  And when we hear it, it connects somewhere in our deepest self.  It is personal.  I know that many times I have heard a preacher say something that turned a light on for me.  But other people--who heard the same thing--didn't see the relevance in it.  God spoke to me.  I got it.

Other times, when I am musing, not really thinking about anything in particular, an answer to a problem I have been having pops into my head.  I usually look up, and say, "Thank you."  I know where the answer came from because I had previously turned it over to Him.  God's voice comes from His word.  Read the Bible.  He speaks through it.

 Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).