The prophet Samuel’s story can encourage us about the process of hearing the Lord.

We need this because the whole Church is God’s prophetic community on the earth.

Acts 2:17-18 (ESV)
17 And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.”

Prophesying means- hearing and speaking the inspired words of God

Samuel sounds like the Hebrew word for, “heard of God”.

Meditating the steps in Samuel’s progression of hearing can increase our hearing.

Steps for Meditating:
1) Like Samuel, your Destiny is to hear God.
1 Samuel 1:20 (ESV)
20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the LORD.”

2) Like Samuel, you can struggle to discern the voice of the Lord.
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (ESV)
1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place.
3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
4 Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!”
5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
6 And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
8 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.
9 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.
10 And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

3) Like Samuel, we can struggle to speak what we have heard.
1 Samuel 3:15 (ESV)
15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

4) Like Samuel, we must find our Shiloh for the perpetual hearing of the Lord.
1 Samuel 3:21 (ESV)
21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.