This weekend we started a whole new message series. It is based on Mark Batterson’s book “Whisper.” It is a good read. If you don’t already use it, I recommend the Audible version. The author himself reads the book, and it is a really easy listen. (I listened while driving on a road trip)
If you aren’t already using it, I also recommend the 5-day reading plan that goes along with the book… It is a Bible App plan, but is also accessible through any web browser.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
-Jesus, John 10:27 (NLT)
Jesus says “My sheep listen.” Is that right? Are you good at listening to Him? Are you good at recognizing his voice?
What keeps you from listening to Him?
Do you find yourself to be in dialog with God, or in monologue?
Why do you think it is important to listen to God?
What is something in your life that you need God to speak into right now? In what area would you really love to hear his voice?
Can you speak a language other than English? How/why did you learn a different language?
Learning a language takes time. It takes practice. And the best way to learn a language? Is it taking a class? Reading a book? You know.. It is total immersion. You have to jump all the way in. You have to get yourself into a situation where that foreign language is the only language spoken.
Have you ever been in a foreign, total immersion situation? If so, how did that affect your ability to speak and understand that foreign language?
Look at what the author of Hebrews says about the context in which God now speaks… Think about the idea of total immersion, and discuss how this idea factors into learning God’s language.
Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.
Hebrews 1:1-3 (NLT)
I believe God wants to speak right into your life. I believe he DOES speak right into your life. It is up to us to tune in to his voice… To cut through the clutter of all the other loud voices in our lives, to learn his language, and to learn to listen to him. That is the purpose of this message series.
What would your life look like if your attitude was like Samuel’s attitude:
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (NLT)
What does the beginning of this passage say about how often people heard from God “in those days?” How is that like these days?
What would it take for us to be able to hear and recognize his voice starting this week so that he doesn’t have to keep saying our name over and over again to get our attention?