Do You Hear What I Hear?

"Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy

Do you hear what I hear

Ringing through the sky shepherd boy

Do you hear what I hear

A song, a song

High above the trees

With a voice as big as the sea

With a voice as big as the sea"

Do you hear?

Looking....do you see?

Listening....do you hear?

"And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli.  And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.  And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep.  That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.  And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I, for thou calledst me.  And he said, I called not; lie down again.  And he went and lay down.  And the Lord called yet again, Samuel.  And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me.  And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.  Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.  And the Lord called Samuel again the third time.  And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me.  And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.  Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down; and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.  So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  And the Lord came; and stood and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel.  Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth."  I Samuel 3:1-10

The word "heareth" in this portion of Scripture means "to hear intelligently, often with implied attention, obedience; to perceive, discern, consider.

Samuel, after Eli helped him to realize it was the Lord speaking and not Eli, answered, "Speak, for thy servant heareth."  

Speak, Lord, for I am ready to obey, ready to perceive, discern and consider your words.

Do we "hear" the Lord speak?  Do we "hear" what He is saying?

Do we "hear" with a heart ready to obey?

Listening....do we hear?

The world is always speaking.  There is constant noise around us.  People talking, phones ringing, horns tooting, televisions blaring.  The sounds of traffic, sirens in the distance, the wind howling, trains rumbling by.  Noise, noise, constant noise!!  And I think we've become pretty successful in learning to "tune out" those things we don't really want to hear.  We've become pretty adept at focusing on what's right before us and "tuning out" the other noises.  But in learning this very helpful skill, have we also become pretty good at "tuning out" the voice of the Lord when He speaks what we don't want to hear?  Or are we so surrounded by noise that we can't hear that still, small voice that comes to us, seeking our attention?

I remember when my kids were little and I wanted them to really focus on what I was wanting to say to them, I would first say to them, "look in my eyes" and then when I had their attention and they were looking at me, I would say, 'put on your listening ears and hear what I am saying."  In the midst of the holiday season, do we hear the voice of the Lord?  Are we even listening for it? Are we able to "tune out" all other noises and distractions and hear, really hear when the Lord speaks to us?

What is He trying to say to you?  

What do you need to hear?

What we need to hear Him say is simply -

See Me....Hear Me.....I am the Gift!

Do you hear Him today?

Are you listening?
Have you put on your "listening ears?"