ODJ: Sound Sensitive

May 30, 2016 

READ: 1 Samuel 1:27–3:21  

The Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening” (3:10).

Being overly sensitive to sound is a sign of creative genius. Research suggests that those who are extremely sensitive to sound might find it easier to think creatively because they’re able to focus on a wide range of things simultaneously. Now, I’m not a creative genius, but I am very sensitive to sound—particularly the sound of our children calling out in the night!

After struggling to become pregnant, Hannah was blessed with a son and kept her promise to give Samuel back to God, where he served in the temple under the supervision of Eli the priest for the rest of his life (1 Samuel 1:27-28, 2:11, 3:1). Over the years, the young boy became sensitive to the sound of his adoptive father Eli. But in Israel at the time, messages and visions from the Lord were uncommon, and so Samuel didn’t initially recognise the voice of God when He called out to him one night. After he ran to Eli for the third time when he heard his name called, the priest realised that God was calling Samuel.

The next time he heard his name, Samuel responded: “Speak, your servant is listening” (v.10). This is where Samuel’s journey of listening and responding to God began. “The Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. . . . The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and He gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle” (3:19,21).

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Just as Samuel became sensitive to the voice of God and responded to it, we encounter His wisdom in Scripture and through the counsel of the Holy Spirit. May we take another step in our journey of listening and responding to Him today!

—Ruth O’Reilly-Smith

365-day plan: Daniel 2:25-49