What you will need: A Bible or your Bible app, a notebook, pen, and highlighter. The verses highlighted below are linked so that you can easily access them during your study time.
Jump Start
1. Tell of a time when you were caught daydreaming and missed an important event or conversation.
2. Learning to hear from God starts with knowing and trusting Him. Read Hebrews 4:15-16. How does this verse tell us we should approach God? What makes this possible?
3. Read aloud as a group. “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation...Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 62:1, 37:7a, ESV). Read Matthew 7:7. List a few things that are pre-requisites to hearing from God in all three of these passages.
4. God has left us with His Word, the Bible, an instruction manual that reveals His will. More importantly, the Scriptures reveal Jesus: what He did and said, how He lived His life. Read John 14:26. Since Jesus is no longer physically here with us, how do we understand the Bible? How does the Bible help us become familiar with hearing God’s voice?
5. Read John 10:24-29. In this passage, who are the speakers? What additional groups are referenced? With whom do you most identify? Will you be intentional about stopping, waiting, and listening for Jesus’ voice this week?
6. Final Thought: Think about a time when you heard God. What happened? How about a time when you heard God, but you ignored Him. Why? Would you do things differently if you could go back? Share your experience and wisdom with your Life Group.
Deeper
Read 1 Samuel 3 through once. Then answer the following questions about specific verses.
Verse 1: What crucial thing is wrong in Israel at that time? Compare it to Joel 2:28.
Verse 2: Is Eli’s infirmity an important fact?
Verse 3: Is Samuel’s physical location important to you?
Verse 4: What does Samuel’s response (to Eli, though really to God) indicate to you?
Verse 7: Why is this sentence included? Does it encourage you or make you worry about your ability to hear God?
Verses 8-9: How many times has the Lord called Samuel, up to this point? What surprises you about this section?
Verse 10-14: This is the crux of the passage. When Samuel responds with willingness, what does God tell him?
Verse 15-16: Imagine Samuel’s thoughts. What was he doing? Why was he afraid? Have you ever received a word from God that was hard to hear, and you were reluctant to share?
Verse 17-18: What are your impressions of Eli in this passage?
Verses 19-21: What became of Samuel? What does the phrase “let none of his words fall to the ground” mean to you? What about the last phrase of verse 21, “by the word of the Lord”? Do they have significance for us today?