"The word of the Lord was rare in those days."

Is it also rare in ours? Has God abandoned us? He sent his Son Jesus to live and die for us. He raised him from the dead and brought him back to his right hand. But after the ascension of Jesus, has God left us on our own to do the best we can to follow the example of Christ? Or does God still speak today?

This study is written with the conviction that God still speaks today. He speaks through the Bible, his Word. He speaks through the lives of faithful Christians. He speaks to us, and we speak to him in prayer. He speaks in all the circumstances of life.

Listening to God may be a frightening experience, but it is more dangerous to live our lives without hearing him. Are we listening? When we pray, do we bring our to-do list to God and in essence say, "Listen God, I've got stuff for you to do"? Or, like Samuel, do we say, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." When we hear the voice of God, are we willing to obey? Or, like Saul, do we listen and follow only when it suits us? Are we, like David, people after God's own heart?

This is an invitation to hear the voice of God in 1 and 2 Samuel. Read it in prayer. Listen to what others around you are hearing. Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Come to this book with a humble heart to hear and to do the Word of the Lord.