Learning To Hear God

And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. (1 Samuel 3:1-10)

Thought For Today:

Have you ever seen those signs along the road that read "Thank you for your patience, work in progress"? In the Bible, when the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn't cast out a devil from a young boy, Jesus told them that it was because of their lack of faith. He explained that "this kind go not out but by prayer and fasting." When the religious leaders questioned Jesus about His disciples not fasting, Jesus replied, "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast" (Matthew 9:15). Essentially, Jesus was saying that things take time to develop. When I first started in ministry, I made a lot of mistakes because I was still a work in progress. I tried to imitate my pastor's preaching style and methods because I wasn't yet knowledgeable in certain areas of the Word and my understanding of deity. However, after much prayer, fasting, and studying, I gained a better understanding of Jesus and His Word. Although I may still have some areas to improve, I don't require a complete overhaul - just some tweaking. In the Bible, Samuel was also a work in progress. Even though he was raised in a temple and mentored by a priest, he lacked two essential things to become a minister: a deep understanding of God's Word and a revelation of deity. However, after gaining these things, he became a mighty prophet who led the children of Israel back to God. Don't give up on people too quickly - they may still be works in progress.