When the horn blew, we knew it was time to come home.
As a child, I never knew the type of technology our current generation enjoys.
My friends and I played the normal games-hide n seek, cowboys and Indians, Red
Rover-but we also made up many games. My cousin and I were good at it, since our
grandparents lived on a farm.
Cell phones hadn't been invented, but my grandmother invented a unique way to
let us know when it was time for supper. She walked outside, opened the door of
her blue Ford galaxy, and pressed the horn. The silence of the woods was broken
only by the sounds of nature, so a car horn stuck out like a sore thumb. When we
heard it, we immediately quit what we were doing and made our way back home.
The little boy Samuel didn't initially hear the horn. He confused it with Eli's
voice. After several times of hearing what he thought was Eli's voice, Samuel
was told it was the Lord's voice. The next time he heard the voice, he told God
he was listening.
Silence is necessary to hear God's voice. It was why my cousin and I heard the
horn. Had we been near a road where the sounds of traffic were continually
bombarding our ears, we wouldn't have been able to distinguish the horn. God can
speak in the midst of our noisy lives, but the chances are high we won't hear
Him.
Time is required to hear God. My cousin and I gave time to the woods and the
animals that lived there. We heard their sounds, observed their likeness, and
learned what made what sound. We'll never learn to hear God clearly if we don't
spend time with Him.
We must also have a heart to obey. If God knows we have a disobedient streak,
He's not likely to reveal His plan. Our hearts must be tender and anxious to
obey so He'll reveal His plan to us as He did to Samuel.
Unconfessed sin must also be confessed. Sin prevents us from hearing God when He
speaks. Confession clears the air so we can perceive clearly what God is saying.
Is something keeping you from hearing God's voice when He speaks?
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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