Go! And Listen: When God Speaks, Do You Listen?
INTRODUCTION
When God speaks… do you listen?
Most people hear noise every day, but very few actually listen.
A few years ago, a violinist stood in a busy railway station in Washington D.C., playing exquisite classical music. Nearly 1,100 people walked by. Only seven stopped for more than a minute. What none of them knew was that the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most accomplished musicians in the world, playing one of the most difficult concert pieces ever written… on a violin worth millions.
The music was glorious, but the people were distracted.
And I wonder…
How often does God speak, and we walk by distracted?
1 SAMUEL 3:1–10 (NLT): “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 realised 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.’”
Samuel lived in days described as spiritually dark:
“messages from the LORD were very rare” (v. 1).
The Hebrew word for “messages” is ?????? (dabar) — meaning a word, a declaration, a revelation. It wasn’t that God was silent; Israel wasn’t listening.
Samuel is young. Eli is old and physically blind — but spiritually blind also. Yet God chooses to speak to a boy lying on the floor of the Tabernacle.
This is grace. God initiates the conversation. And God still does.
1 — GOD IS STILL SPEAKING TODAY
Hebrews 1:1–2 (NLT):
“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’s fullest revelation is Jesus Christ Himself. The Greek word for “spoken” here is ?a??? (laleo) — not whispering, not hinting… but clearly declaring.
We live in a world overflowing with noise — notifications, screens, routines — but God still speaks through:
His Word
His Spirit
His people
His providence
His creation
The problem is not divine silence.
The problem is human busyness.
John Piper: “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”
We see so little, yet God is so active. Piper reminds us that God’s voice often moves quietly, faithfully, powerfully — beneath the surface. But only the listening heart will recognise it.
2 — TO HEAR GOD, WE MUST BE WILLING TO RESPOND
Notice Samuel’s posture:
He runs. He gets up. He moves.
Three times he says, “Here I am!”
James 1:22 (NLT): “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.”
The Greek verb p???? (poieo) means to act, to carry out, to obey. Hearing without obedience is spiritual self-deception.
In Samuel’s day, the priesthood was corrupt (Hophni and Phinehas). Hearing God carried responsibility. God doesn’t speak simply to inform us — He speaks to transform us.
God speaks to guide us…
But He also speaks to correct us, confront us, redirect us.
Are you willing to obey even before you know what He will say?
Charles Stanley: “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”
This is faith. This is discipleship. God doesn’t give us the full roadmap — He gives us the next step. Listening means stepping forward.
3 — THE POSTURE GOD BLESSES: “SPEAK, LORD, YOUR SERVANT IS LISTENING.”
Samuel’s response shows humility, surrender, readiness. The Hebrew word for listening is ?????? (shama‘) — meaning more than hearing; it means hearing with the intent to obey.
John 10:27 (NLT): “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
Jesus describes believers as sheep who:
Listen
Are known
Follow
Listening leads to following. Following leads to transformation.
A shepherd in the Middle East once brought his flock to a watering place. Several flocks were already there, all mixed together. But when the shepherd finished, he simply stepped away and called out. Instantly, only his sheep followed. None of the others moved.
Why? Because sheep recognise the voice of their shepherd.
Tim Keller: “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial; to be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is what it means to know God.”
Keller expresses the heart of discipleship: God speaks not to burden us but because He loves us. When God calls your name, it’s personal.
4 — THE COST OF IGNORING GOD’S VOICE
Eli ignored God for years. His sons mocked God’s presence. The result? Judgment.
Proverbs 1:24–25 (NLT): “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.”
Ignoring God is not neutral — it leads to destruction.
But listening leads to life.
THE GOSPEL — THE GREATEST WORD GOD EVER SPOKE
The greatest message God ever gave was not a sound from heaven —
It was Jesus Christ, the living Word.
1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (NLT): “Christ died for our sins… He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day.”
God has spoken clearly:
We are sinners.
We deserve judgment.
We cannot save ourselves.
Jesus Christ died in our place.
Jesus rose from the dead.
Salvation is found in Him alone.
The cross is God saying: “I love you. Come home.”
The resurrection is God saying: “Listen to Him — He is Lord!”
A CALL TO ACTION:
Church, God is speaking.
Not vaguely. Not rarely.
Clearly. Powerfully. Personally.
So here is the question that shapes this entire message:
When God speaks… do you listen?
Listen:
When His Word confronts your sin.
When His Spirit prompts you to move.
When His whisper tells you to forgive.
When His voice calls you to serve.
When His Gospel invites you to believe.
Don’t harden your heart. Don’t delay. Don’t walk by distracted.
Say with Samuel: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
INVITATION TO SALVATION:
Maybe today God is speaking to your heart about salvation.
You know you are not right with God.
You know sin separates you from Him.
You know Jesus is the only Saviour.
Today, if you will listen, He will save you.
Pray:
“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner.
I believe You died and rose again.
I turn from my sins and place my trust in You alone.
Speak, Lord — I am listening.
I surrender my life to You. Amen.”
BENEDICTION / EXHORTATION:
May you walk this week with ears open and hearts surrendered.
May the voice of God guide your steps, shape your decisions, and fill your soul with peace.
And may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God your Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you as you go…
and listen.
Amen.
