Are We Listening?

The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."


(1 Samuel 3:10, NIV)

The birds' chirping.
The dogs' barking.
The nature's call in the early morning.

Everyday, Ashton awakes to this natural alarm. He excitedly clambered off the bed and looks out the window to trace these noises. Pursing his lips, he uttered "dog, dog"...."berd"... and he will turn to me with a sweet smile and gestured to welcome a new day. This is a norm.

Somehow he just loves dogs and birds. Always looking out for those creatures...almost everywhere we go. The interesting part is this...he understood a dog barks and a bird chirps. So he will imitate those sounds in his cute voice. Cheekily I asked him, "How about Ashton?" I was wondering what he would say. Immediately, he voiced, "thang, thang, thang" while his fingers strummed an invisible guitar. How cute! It dawned upon me he associates the sounds of the animals to music. Those are music to his ears and he has accustomed to it. He has learnt to recognized those sounds so well that even the faintest bark or chirp catches his attention. Every time he hears it no matter how faint, he will look for the creature. I thought what a keen ear this toddler has!

God has blessed us with ears to hear. What are we listening to? It is a noisy world. We hear all sorts of sounds all the time. In the midst of these noises, there is One who is trying to get our attention too. But are we listening?

Samuel heard God calling him. He was deliberate in waiting to hear God. And he heard. And he responded. He was ready to listen.

Do we recognize our Shepherd's voice? Are we accustomed to his voice? How sharp is our ear?
Are we ready to listen?

Perhaps the Lord has a special message for us today. An answer to our prayers, the wisdom we are seeking, the direction we need, a comforting word, an assurance of his love, or just a simple call of our name to remind us he is near. Listen! And listen well.

Lord, speak for your servant [your name] is listening. In Jesus' name. Amen.