How To Hear God\'s Call

Day 1

Read 1 Samuel 3

This chapter, when read carefully, is really precise in the picture it is trying to paint.  My Bible is marked up here more than many other passages because of the obvious comparisons and parable-like way of explaining things that are directly placed all over the place in this chapter.  At the very least, Samuel seems to be yielded to God and Eli seems to be greatly out of sync with God.  The Bible doesn’t give all the blame to Eli, but it certainly paints a picture of being in the wrong place and struggling with things going on around him.  

What is the lesson you learn from Samuel in this chapter that could apply to your life?

What is the lesson that you learn from Eli that could help your life right now?


“Speak for your servant hears.”  This is an incredible place of surrender that Samuel displays.  He doesn’t fully get it and he doesn’t know what exactly he is doing, but he yields to God to hear from God.  Have you struggled with getting to a place like that lately?

What is an area in your life that you need to speak a phrase like that to and surrender it to God?

How does this idea and these verses speak into your life and what you see around you to become a prayer?

Day 2

Read Matthew 13:1-23

The Bible is constantly using the language of seeing and hearing as a metaphor to not just physical sight and hearing, but spiritual deafness and blindness.  Our passage in 1 Samuel 3 did the same thing as it talked about Eli, as the priest, having trouble with his vision while the vision of the Lord was rare among the people.  Jesus, in this passage in Matthew, quotes Isaiah where that same idea is talked about.  Here though, Jesus takes the teaching a bit further to illustrate a point about how people accept the teaching of the Bible.  

Go through each of the types of ground that Jesus talks about and try to think of what that looks like in the world around you.  Have you experienced being any of the types mentioned in this parable?

How do you “see” and “hear” as Jesus is talking about in this text?


How does this become your prayer today?

Day 3

Read James 3

This chapter is used for a lot of applications.  Maybe they are mostly fair, but the point of the text is a warning to the person that is imparting, or teaching the truths of God.  Our story in 1 Samuel 3 was about the word of God going out through a new person that he was raising up, the young boy Samuel.  He became the great and first major prophet of God and that pattern would continue through the Bible.  Whereas this passage in James is clearly talking about formal teaching of God’s word, it seems to land on general use of our language as well.  All of us reading this passage can take away from a caution that is beneficial and wise as we learn the weight of our words to those around us.   So think about it in that sense.

As you were reading that chapter, surely there was something the Holy Spirit placed on your heart about what you take from it.  What was it?

What do you think of James' take that a man that can bridle his tongue is a perfect man? What does he mean and do you agree with what he is saying?

What is the difference, from James’ perspective, of blessing people and cursing people?

James talks about the “produce” of our words (figs, olives, and grapes).  What are the “fruits” of your words and how has that impacted people’s life around you?

How does this fit into your prayer today?

Day 4

Read Luke 5:1-11

God’s call on a life is a moment of great struggle and intimidation.  But we have to understand that if God has a purpose and point for our lives, then there will be a moment of calling that we will experience from God.  Not all of these will end in full-time, leave your job, leave you home ministry…but what if?  All of God’s calls lead to sharing the gospel in some form or fashion. So maybe it is safe to say that if it doesn’t , there may be an element of selfishness clouding the experience.

How have you felt God calling you in your life?  Maybe it was more time in his word, or maybe it was into a church, or something else?

What do you think Jesus meant when he told them they would be “catching men from now on”?  

How does this story speak to your life personally?  Why not go on to the app and share some thoughts about what God is laying on your heart from this passage?

Day 5

Read Luke 6:12-42

This section starts with the call of some more disciples to ministry, then it goes into a teaching that follows the idea of what their ministry was.  

What is something from this section that you struggle with?

What is something that you need to grow in that Jesus talks about here?

What do you think Jesus means about loving our enemies and what does that look like in your life today?

How does this become your prayer?

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