The Lord may not have been speaking directly to Eli, but He still spoke. Even in times when we may not be hearing from the Lord, He is gracious enough to still speak to us, but it may be through others or even from unlikely sources, as in this case it was the child Samuel. Perhaps God stops speaking to us personally because actually we are waiting for a different message. So He will use others to reinforce the original message. Now God sent a child with a severe message to this aged, seasoned leader and priest. God will use many different ways to get our attention. He even used a donkey to speak in one situation. The best thing is to listen the first time that the Lord speaks to us. The Lord does not keep changing the message until we get one that suits us. He speaks and He is not confused. He knows the plans He has for us and they are plans for our good and not for evil.
COMMUNICATION IS IN GOD’S VERY NATURE
The Lord is a communicator. He desires to communicate with us and for us to communicate with Him.
John 10:27 ‘My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.’
Hearing from God is part of the way in which we were designed and destined to live. We were not designed to live our lives separated from God. Sin comes along and does its best to separate us from the Lord.
Isaiah 59:2 ‘But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.’
But that is not how God intended things to be. Everything about God is about communication. The Bible is an example of His communication with humanity over the eras of time. It is a detailed account of His interactions and communications with man. Even in times when He may feel afar off, He will still speak to us through His Word. As we read the Bible He can speak to us with something that ‘jumps out’ at us and becomes a revelation because His Spirit has come and made it living and real to us as individuals. The Bible is a record of Him speaking directly and indirectly through Prophets, Kings, Priest, Apostles, Children, Angels and even a Donkey. We also see how He spoke to men and women. Think about people like David, Esther, Mary and Paul. The Lord can speak to us through our very own thoughts and through the still small voice within us. The Lord can speak to us through our situation and circumstances. He can speak to us while we are driving, He can speak to us during the night and He can even speak to us as we sleep. He can speak to us through nature and the beauty of a sunset or the sound of a babbling stream. He can speak to us when we are old or when we very young. If you are an older person today, you can expect Him to speak to you. If you are a young person, you can expect Him to speak to you. If you are a child, you are by no means excluded. He can speak to us when we are under enormous pressure or when things are running smoothly. Live with expectation that He is ready and willing to speak to you and to hear from you.
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