04/24/2026
Do you pray as you should, and when you Listen now, Is God’s Voice Calling?do pray, does God meet you there? When He does, people have a great deal to ask of Him and begin to do so immediately, but the most important aspect of our time of prayer is not what we say to Him, but what God says to us. The most powerful moment in most biblical accounts begins when the Lord speaks, but do we hear Him when He speaks to us personally? Are we even listening? Then, if we listen, how do we answer Him? Do we acknowledge Him at all, or just sit dumb in silence? So, if we do hear, how is it that we respond? Do we say, “Yes Lord!”, or “Here am I Lord.”?
“Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."”
Acts 9:10-12 ESV
The story of the Apostle Paul begins on the road to Damascus with Jesus speaking to him, but in that first encounter he wasn’t yet a believer and his name was Saul of Tarsus. Listen to his first response, it is very different from that of Ananias... He asks, “Who are you, Lord?”.
“Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
Acts 9:3-5 ESV
When we first begin our lives as believers this is quite often how it begins. We don’t really know who is calling us, and we begin with a similar question. This happened to Paul, it happened to Moses, and it happened to Samuel... does it happen to us too?
“And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.”
1 Samuel 3:8-9 ESV
When God calls us how do we answer? Samuel didn’t know who was calling him, and had to be told how to respond. Moses turned fearfully away from the burning bush and had to be called back by God before he finally answered, “Here am I”, and Paul’s first response was “Who are you”. Each account began with God or Jesus speaking. We are spoken to as well; do we listen, and if so, how do we respond? Does it frighten us, bewilder us, leave us in awe, or do we convince ourselves it is someone else speaking to us, as Samuel did?
However our own story might unfold, it will begin with God or Jesus speaking. We might feel a mysterious urge to come, but when the Lord is ready to use us He will call us by name. Regardless of how He calls us the pressing question becomes this... are we waiting to hear His voice? When we pray, are we listening more than we speak? When we are going about our everyday lives are our ears attuned to the voice of God? When we slumber and dreams come upon us, are we seeing them with spiritual eyes? And, when we are taken to that place where visions come upon us, do we explain them away, or stand in awe and say, “Here am I!”?
God’s voice speaks to us in wonderful and awesome ways, but are we ready to hear it? If we fell off our horse and we’re blinded, would we explain the voice of Jesus away as a natural occurrence of hitting our head, or pray as Saul did, see visions like Ananias, and have our eyesight returned?
These stories are not meant to entertain us, but to teach us how to respond when God calls out to us. They instruct us in what to listen for, and how to react when the voice, dream, or vision of the Lord presents itself. These biblical stories are like fire drills for our own spirituality; they are the signs on the wall that direct us to the nearest exit, and safety. They teach us how to react when we smell the smoke of incense. Are we ready? How will we react?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your Word that teaches me so much about you, and my life with you. I thank you for your voice as I pray, your signs and wonders in my day, and the dreams in my sleep. You call me, Father, and I know it is you because I read in your Holy Word about men such as Paul, Samuel, and Moses. I then listen for the sound of your voice, and anticipate your call every moment of my day and night. I am so amazed Lord that you would speak to someone like me, and that you find it worth your while to reach out to me... a sinner who could not save himself if it weren’t for the blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Teach me to listen more intently, and to answer quickly when you call. Give me confidence that the scales will eventually fall from my eyes as they did from Saul’s, give me the leadership of Moses, and the foresight of Samuel. Call me, Holy Father, and I will answer, because I know your voice by your Word and from hearing it earlier in my life. Speak and I will answer... “Here am I”. Meet me on the road during the day, and in my dreams at night because there I will wait for you. Great is your name, and powerful your voice… and I will follow you always…. Wherever you lead, or send me, I will go.
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Isaiah 6:8 ESV
Amen! Amen!
Rich Forbes