Often, we think (or at least act) as if the best thing in the world would be to be completely independent, without any restrictions or limitations. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the way most people view God. If they believe God exists, they want Him to be silent, unjudging, and uninvolved in their lives. All they want from God is a vague sense of approval and perhaps encouragement that they are doing just fine. But the reality is that this is exactly what we do not need as people. When God is silent, it is a form of judgment – He is leaving us to our own sinful thinking and allowing us to experience the bad fruit of our rebellion. What we must realize is that the greatest blessing we can have is to hear from God. When His Word comes to us, it is a source of life. This is what we see in the very first pages of the Bible: God speaks, and all of life leaps into existence. It is also what we see in the first pages of the New Testament: the eternal Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, comes to mankind bringing life and light. This was what Samuel would begin to learn, as the Lord came to him with His Word, starting a time when the Word of the Lord would be much more frequent and would guide Israel. Samuel was the forerunner of a whole series of prophets in Israel, and it all began with the call, “Samuel.” It was a sign that “The Word Returns” (1 Samuel 3:1-4:1)

I. The God Who Speaks
A. God is Gracious to Speak
B. God is Patient in Speaking

II. The Word is God’s
A. The Word Brings Life
B. The Word Cannot Be Controlled

III. Our Responsibility to Hear
A. Understanding Who God Is
B. Responding to God’s Word

Questions for consideration: (1) Have there been times when you believed God was silent with you? Have you realized that at times you were not listening to God? How did that affect your life and actions? (2) What habits have you cultivated to help you to keep a good “appetite” for God’s Word? What causes you to struggle to read and study? (3) Samuel had to bring a hard word to Eli. Has there been a time when you had to hear a “hard word” from God? How did you respond? How do you hope you would respond now? What would make the difference?