Hearing the Horn - Martin Wiles

And Samuel replied, “Yes, your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10 NLT

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? 

Prayer: Father, we ask that You help us hear clearly when You speak. 

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