The Voice of God

God loves us individually and gradually reveals Himself to us throughout our lives. When God approached Samuel, He was gentle, so He didn’t frighten him by revealing His presence all at once. Calling softly to Samuel in his sleep was a way to reach out to him to make His presence known. God’s revelations are often like that, a gentle and slow revealing of His presence. It’s a peaceful, gradual certainty that grows slowly over time. That is a sure sign that it is God who is revealing Himself and His will to you. His voice is more like a gentle nudging or tugging that you continue to notice until He gets your attention, like a child who stands respectfully and patiently from afar until you become aware that he would like to talk to you.

Silence, solitude, and prayer are the basic elements that facilitate a greater awareness of God’s presence in our lives and His will for us. Jesus, who was both human and divine, set an excellent example for us by choosing silence, solitude, and prayer to commune with His Father and accept His will. It is these same three elements that Samuel practiced as he was off by himself, asleep in silence, and had been praying in the temple.

God is in control of our lives and sometimes He wants us to come to know His will by taking care of things ourselves, making mistakes, learning from them, and thus growing in the development of our character and in holiness. Sometimes, God will send His Holy Spirit to reveal His will to us, but when He does this, it is usually to benefit others, as well as ourselves.

We usually know what is best for our lives deep down inside. There is just so much noise, distractions, stress, and pressures from other people that we do not feel very close to God or have the ability to “listen” with the ears of our heart. Holiness, direction, and guidance from God, is not just for saints and prophets. God wants each of us to enter into a deeper relationship with Him and most especially, with His Son, Jesus.

The next time you feel a gentle tugging on your heart, it may be a call from the Lord to come away for awhile and speak with Him. He has something He needs to talk to you about. Like any good relationship though, it is always a good thing to seek His company when you have something on your mind or on your heart. God is always there to care about you and listen to you, when you approach Him in silence, solitude, and prayer with the words of Samuel, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

God love and bless you!
Sr. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, IHM