I have two very large inspiration boards in my study where I write the 5MC every morning. As God reveals certain scripture and messages to me through His Word, I stop and write them on the boards with a Sharpie. As years have passed, the verses, quotes and sayings have grown. Daily I sit and stare at the goodness of God’s Words on those boards. They speak volumes into my soul. And the power they hold amazes me.
The top left of the bottom board holds a powerful 5 word phrase. “Think about the Miracle Moment.” The Miracle Moment is when a heart in absolute obedience to the Lord first meets the power of God’s Word. When his happens…Salvation happens. When a heart kneels before its creator and heeds the simple Words God has given it, the miracle of Salvation occurs.
If you think about Salvation as an equation, the three requisites are God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, and a human heart. The Word of God in this equation is the constant. You see, the Words of God in the Bible, never change. They have stayed constant for 2700 years. God tells us in Romans 13:8 that He “is the same yesterday, today and forever.” God and His Words never change. So that would naturally make the only variable in this equation the human heart that deals with the constant of God’s Word. You see, the power of the “Miracle Moment” is always at hand, always possible. All that stands in the way of Salvation, is the heart that hears.
The human heart in its natural state is in rebellion. We are born with a sin nature and because of that we are born selfish, prideful creatures. As soon as we can learn to listen to the words of our parents, we rebel. Just tell a one year old to not touch something and then turn your back. Yep, that one year old hand is reaching exactly where it was told to not reach. As we mature, we encounter not just the authoritative words of our parents but the words of the world’s authority. At 5 we’re hauled off to school and we fight it. Our teachers tell us what to do and we fight them. They give us homework and we fight it. We graduate and get jobs and we now get a bossy boss to boss us around. And we fight them too. We also get political leaders and we fight them. We fight their policies, their laws and well, we fight anything politicians do. We also may have a pastor that is too preachy, and we’ll fight them too. And lastly, we hear the authoritative Words of God. And man do we fight them. Like a mighty Blue Marlin thrashing at the end of a line, we fight God with all we are. What can you say, rebellion just comes natural right?
Today we see one of my favorite passages in which God calls a servant. In fact, I enjoy each and every passage where God calls someone into His service. The passages in the Gospels where He calls His disciples gives me goosebumps every time I read them. The idea of a heart that is naturally in rebellion to God being changed to the point that it’s transformed into one of a servant. Today we see that Miracle Moment as young Samuel encounters the call of the Lord. And when the Words of God break the silence in Samuel’s room, the heart that hears them is a beautiful heart indeed.
Samuel at this time would have been a teenager, somewhere between 12 and 19. He had been an apprentice to Eli for many years now and was still living in the temple, a gift to God from his mother Hannah. Samuel slept near the lamp of God which was a candle fed by olive oil. The lamp was given enough oil to burn until dawn and we’re told that it had “not yet gone out” so it must have been in the wee hours of the morning. This is the moment in which the Words of God will fall upon an open, yielding, obedient heart.
God calls Samuel twice and he thinks it must be Eli calling, as he is sleeping nearby. He rushes in to check on Eli, thinking he must need help. Eli thinks Samuel is dreaming and tells him to go back to sleep. But the third time Samuel hears God’s call, Eli realizes what is happening and his wise advice to young Samuel is where we will camp out this morning.
“And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:8-10
Let’s look at a few key ingredients in the passage to learn more about what it is to hear from God.
1) Obedience. “It’s not a question of whether or not God is speaking, it’s a question of whether or not you are listening.” God’s voice is ringing out all over this world today. The problem? It is falling on hard, disobedient, selfish hearts. You see, just as in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13: 1–9, 18–23) God’s Word can only sprout in the proper soil. Samuel’s heart was tender, fertile soil for the Lord. He had a servant heart that was filled with humility, obedience, and selflessness. Every time God called Samuel’s response was “Here I am” and he rushed off to serve another. God’s Words will fall deaf on any other heart than an obedient, humble, fertile one.
2) Make yourself available to hear from God. Eli told Samuel to go back and lie down. He told him to go back to the place that God had been speaking to him and wait. He didn’t tell him to go to the altar of the temple, to go pray or to go make a sacrifice. All of those were important aspects of worship, but he merely needed to be still in the place that God had already been speaking. Folks, God will speak to an obedient, humble heart, that is a guarantee. If you can offer God this heart, then simply make yourself available. Are you spending time daily in God’s Word? Are you being still before God? (Psalm 46:10) Our world today tells us just the opposite, be busy, stay busy and stay occupied. Get on your phone, check your email, text constantly, binge on Netflix and then fill every other single void with social media. Stop. Be still. Be quiet. Make yourself available to hear from God.
3) Be patient. Eli tells Samuel “if He calls you.” God does not speak on your demand. God has divine timing and He will speak not only when He is ready, but more importantly when you are ready. Maybe you’re not ready for the message He has for you. Maybe He’s waiting for His perfect timing to line up events. In the meantime, be faithful to stay in His Word, keep your heart obedient and pure and be ready. For God can and will speak at any time.
4) Be ready to hear the Words of God. “Speak Lord.” We must be eager to hear from God. And He can speak in many different ways. He of course speaks through His Holy Word, the Bible, but He also speaks through Pastors, parents, fellow believers, teachers, and friends. As we are lying on our bed like Samuel waiting for the Lord to speak, we must be ready for when He does speak. We must be ready, respond and then receive His Words. But be careful, remember this is hearing from God. If you do receive a message from someone else, you must discern whether it’s from God or not.
5) Humbly hear His Words. “for your servant hears.” The other day I had on some headphones and as Margie walked by, she said something to me. I took off the headphones and asked her to repeat what she had said as I couldn’t hear because of the music. The next time she walked by, I saw her start to say something but as she saw the headphones still on, she passed by without a word. You see, she didn’t even bother speaking to me because she knew I wasn’t listening. God is no different. Are you ready and eager to hear from God today? If you have on the headphones of the world, he won’t speak because He knows you’re not listening. Shed the blare of noise the world constantly pumps into your ears and listen for the Lord. Remember the word hear is a verb, are you ready to ‘hear’ from God today?
Folks, God is speaking, are you listening? Tenderize your heart for God. Fill it with obedience and humility. Put yourself in a still, quiet place daily where God can speak to you. Be patient as you wait to hear from God, He is on a divine timetable that you are unaware of. When He does speak, be ready to receive those words with a servant’s heart. Shed the noise of this world and be ready to hear the gentle whispers of God. And then do these over and over and over. Practice makes better.
May God bless you into His presence today as you hear the power, majesty and wonder of His Words to you.
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