1 Samuel 3:10 (NKJV), “Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’. And Samuel answered, ‘Speak, for Your servant hears.”
 

At a young age, as a fulfilled promise made by his mother, Samuel was brought to serve in the house of the Lord, under Eli, the priest. At that time, the Bible says the spoken Word of the Lord was rare, and there had been no widespread revelation from Him (1 Samuel 3:1). Verse 7 says, “(Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.)” In other words, even though he worked and lived with Eli, the priest, Samuel hadn't yet experienced a direct revelation from or heard the voice of the Lord. Which explains why it didn’t immediately occur to him that it was God's voice he heard when His name was called out three consecutive times in the night. After the third account, Eli realized the voice Samuel had heard, was the Lord Himself. This would be the very first time Samuel would have a personal encounter with the Word of God. Interestingly, Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who worked in the house of the Lord, were also said to not have known the Lord (1 Samuel 2:12). They knew enough about the Lord to serve the people on His behalf. Only, they had no regard for Him and certainly did not fear Him. All of Israel knew of their wickedness, of how they profaned God’s sacrifices and sinned against the people in their work as priests. So, the evening Samuel first heard God’s voice, began a relationship with Him in a way Eli’s sons never had. What a noticeable difference between Samuel’s willing and immediate obedience to the Lord, compared to Eli’s sons’ contempt for Him. As a result, God judged Eli and his son’s, but He was with Samuel and revealed Himself to him. Romans 8:14 says the sons of God are led by His Spirit. Because we are born-again, we are able to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit within us. When we remain sensitive and attentive to His voice and are quick to respond to His leading - we walk in the full benefits of our relationship with Him. However, if we choose to disregard His voice, and only listen when it suits us, we will find our relationship with Him grow cold. Our ability to hear His voice will weaken, as our desire for the things of this world takes precedence over our desire for His manifest Presence. Turn your heart towards the Lord today, determine to quieten every distraction and lean in close to hear His heart, and adore Him. You have ears to hear - so listen as He reveals Himself to you.