Read 1 Samuel 3:2–5, 7

As technology continues to take over more of our lives, I find it increasingly more difficult to hear the still small voice of God through the din of culture. Cell phone notifications, laptop “dings,” and pop-up Internet ads create an almost deafening blast of society’s distractions.

That’s why I’m making a commitment every day to listen for God’s voice...especially in a day when there are so many competing messages.

I’ve always enjoyed the story of how young Samuel, as a boy, first came to know of the presence of God.

One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. Suddenly the LORD called out, “Samuel!”

“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did....

Samuel did not yet know the LORD because he had never had a message from the LORD before. (1 Samuel 3:2–5, 7)

Surrounded by all manner of religious rituals and relics, the young Samuel had not heard a message from the Lord until the Lord called his name directly. Can you imagine! Thankfully, Samuel was listening. His ears had not yet grown dull to the quiet voice of God...he heard God’s voice because he was listening.

Are you? Could you be so distracted by “other things” that you’re failing to discern the Lord’s gentle voice? Or is your spiritual hearing dulled and your spiritual sight blurred from too many years of familiarity? Overexposure can make us “hard of listening.”

Ask the Lord to speak to you today from His Word. And when He does, reply as young Samuel did so many years ago, “Speak, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10).

Devotional content taken from Good Morning, Lord...Can We Talk? by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2018. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.

The full devotional can be purchased at https://www.tyndale.com/p/good-morning-lord-can-we-talk/9781414380681.