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)
This week’s devotional is titled, “Speak, Lord, for Your Servant Listens.” It is important to remember that God desires to reveal Himself to everyone; however, there will always be two groups of people who often miss the voice of God. The first group are the ones who have a carnal mind; the carnal mind can seldom align itself with the mind of Christ, because of which the voice of God will be elusive. The second group are the casual believers; for these individuals, the language of the Holy Spirit will remain a mystery because it has to be discerned and learnt: “It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them” (Proverbs 25:2).
Why does God choose to conceal certain things? I believe it’s because He wants us to seek Him for those. The language of the Holy Spirit will be a mystery to both the carnal mind and the casual seeker because to both these groups, seeking the Lord will never be a priority. It is those who seek the Lord who will possess the ability to rightly discern His voice and His ways: “they that seek the LORD understand all things” (Proverbs 28:5). Pharaoh had a dream but it was of no use to him till Joseph unlocked it for him. Many times heaven’s counsel and direction for us is veiled in symbols and similitudes (Hosea 12:10), but to the one who seeks the Lord what is veiled will not be hidden. May our prayer be, “Speak, for Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). When He speaks may His words not remain a mystery to us, but may we be ones who hear and understand.
Declaration: In my life, the language of the Holy Spirit will not be a mystery to me, but I will be one who hears and understands what is spoken.
Scripture: I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old. (Psalm 78:2)