Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7: Lesson 70

1 Samuel 3

“Speak, Lord; For Thy Servant Heareth”

How well do you feel you can recognize the Lord’s voice in your life? One night the Lord spoke to the boy Samuel. With help from Eli, Samuel eventually recognized the Lord’s voice. He responded, “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:9). The Lord speaks to us too, and like Samuel, we need to learn to recognize His voice. This lesson can help students seek and recognize personal revelation.

Student preparation: Ask students the question, “How do you hear the voice of the Lord in your life?” Invite them to reflect on how they would answer. They could also ask friends or family members the question.

Possible Learning Activities

Hearing the Lord’s voice

Consider inviting a volunteer to the front of the class who is willing to be blindfolded. Place a blindfold on the student. One at a time, invite a few class members to call the student by name. Ask the blindfolded student to identify who called their name.

• Why were some of the voices easier to recognize?

• What are some spiritual lessons that could relate to this activity?

Students may or may not share principles similar to the truths outlined in this lesson. If they do, invite them to look for evidence or understanding of these truths as they study 1 Samuel 3. If not, that is fine. Thank all students for what they shared.

Write the following truth on the board: God speaks to us and wants us to recognize His voice. Explain that the Lord speaks to us through the Holy Ghost (see Doctrine and Covenants 8:2). This is known as personal revelation. Students will identify additional principles of personal revelation throughout the lesson.

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

One of the things the Spirit has repeatedly impressed upon my mind … is how willing the Lord is to reveal His mind and will. The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children. …

Does God really want to speak to you? Yes! (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 94–95)

Invite students to reflect on the following questions:

• Do you believe God really wants to speak to you? Why or why not?

• How confident are you in your ability to recognize revelation?

• What makes it easy or difficult for you to recognize God’s voice (or personal revelation) in your life?

Express your confidence that God wants to speak to your students.

Throughout the lesson, try to seek for and recognize messages from the Lord. Try to recognize how He speaks to you.

Principles of revelation

Samuel was born to Hannah as an answer to her prayers. When Samuel was young, Hannah brought him to the tabernacle where Eli could care for him. One night, the boy Samuel had an experience hearing the voice of the Lord.

Before providing the instructions below, you might explain that some principles in the scriptures are implied. This means they are not directly stated in the verses. The Holy Ghost can help us identify implied principles as we ask ourselves questions like “What might the author of these verses have wanted me to learn?” or “What are some of the important lessons these verses teach?”

Study 1 Samuel 3:1–10, 19, looking for insights and truths about receiving revelation from God.

When students have finished studying, invite them to write principles they discovered on the board. Using their own words, students may have identified principles listed below. If they struggle to identify principles, you may list the following and invite them to identify phrases or verses that teach them.

• The Lord patiently reaches out to us even when we do not initially recognize His voice (see verses 4, 6, 8, 10).

• The Lord speaks to youth (see verses 4, 6, 8, 10).

• It often requires time and practice to become familiar with the Lord’s voice (see verses 7, 10, 19).

• Others can help us recognize the voice of the Lord (see verse 8–9).

• When we demonstrate a willingness to listen and act, the Lord will reveal more. (see verses 10, 19)

• Why could these principles be helpful as we try to recognize the Lord’s voice in our lives?

• How are they a demonstration of His love for us?

Recognizing the voice of the Lord

The Lord speaks to us in many ways through the Holy Ghost. Learning how He might speak to you can help you better recognize His voice in your life.

Provide students with the handout “How Can I Recognize the Lord’s Voice?” Consider doing the first row of the chart as a class before inviting students to complete the remaining rows. It might be best to invite students to complete this on their own to allow for personal reflection. If you feel you may not have enough time for this activity, consider inviting students to only do a few rows, or consider continuing the lesson on another day.

When students finish studying, take time to let them discuss what they discovered and to ask questions. Use this time to allow students to share how they hear the Lord’s voice in their lives. You might also share a personal experience and explain how you hear Him.

Express gratitude to students for the things they share. Let them know that their contributions make a meaningful difference in class.

Becoming familiar with the Lord’s voice

Like Samuel, it might require time and practice for us to become familiar with the Lord’s voice and recognize personal revelation (see 1 Samuel 3:7, 10, 19).

• What are some ways we, like Samuel, can try to recognize the voice of the Lord?

Some ideas might be talking to a parent or trusted mentor about how to receive revelation like Samuel spoke to Eli. Samuel said, “Speak; for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:10). Perhaps we can also make it clear to the Lord we are ready to hear His messages by having moments to ponder and listen after prayer or throughout the day. Or we could record in a journal some of the ways we may be receiving messages from Heavenly Father, like those in the handout.

In your study journal, create a plan of something you would like to do to seek for and recognize revelation from God in your life.

Testify that as students make a focused effort over time, their ability to recognize personal revelation will increase. Let students know they will be given an opportunity to reflect on their efforts to recognize personal revelation in Lesson 80: “Assess Your Learning 5.”

Additional Resources

What was the Lord’s message to Samuel?

The message the Lord gave Samuel was that Eli would be condemned for refusing to correct the sinful behavior of his sons (see 1 Samuel 3:11–14). As Samuel grew, Israel recognized him as a prophet of the Lord (see 1 Samuel 3:20).

How can I increase my ability to hear the Lord’s voice?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will “grow into the principle of revelation.” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 95)

How can a teacher help students recognize personal revelation?

Brother Chad H. Webb, Administrator of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, explained:

How do you help a student who feels she or he has not had spiritual experiences? Sometimes our youth hear stories that seem miraculous and fail to realize that the Holy Ghost also speaks to them in a variety of simple ways, like when they have an inspired question or when they think to mark the scriptures. Let’s help them learn how the Lord communicates with them individually and not suggest that the way the Lord speaks to us is the only way He can speak to them. Let’s be careful not to tell our students when they’re feeling the Holy Ghost. Just because we may be feeling the Spirit as the teacher doesn’t necessarily mean that every student is feeling the same thing at the same moment. It’s also good to understand that those who experience anxiety and depression may feel it’s hard to have these experiences. But the Lord is not limited by mental illness. He knows and understands them and can find ways to communicate His love and guidance. There are very few things we can do that will help them more than to learn to receive and act on personal revelation. (“His Representatives” [training broadcast with President Ballard, January 21, 2022])

Supplemental Learning Activities

Alternate Beginning

Ask a few volunteers to come to the front of the class. Invite them to stand with their legs straight and touch the floor with their fingers or hands. Some students will likely be more capable of this than others.

• What could a person do over time to increase their ability to touch the floor?

• How might this activity relate to the following statement?

President Russell M. Nelson invited us:

I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation. (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 95)

Invite students to look for principles that can help them stretch beyond their current ability to receive personal revelation as they study 1 Samuel 3.

Preach My Gospel

Instead of using the handout, invite students to study “Learn to Recognize the Promptings of the Spirit” in Preach My Gospel, “Chapter 4: Seek and Rely on the Spirit.” Give students time to share and ask questions about what they read.

How I hear Him

Rather than asking students to share what they wrote in the third column of the handout, you could do the following:

Explain that many Church leaders have shared how they hear the voice of the Lord. Watch one or more of their videos titled “How I Hear Him” available in Gospel Library.

Invite students to imagine they were asked to record their own “How I Hear Him” video. Give them time to write a short script for their video. It could include personal experiences and scriptures of their choosing or from the handout. When they have finished, invite a few students to read their script to the class.

God speaks to us through the scriptures

Invite students to read Doctrine and Covenants 18:34, looking for what the Lord said we could testify of as we read the scriptures.

Invite students to reflect on their personal scripture study. Ask for a few willing volunteers to share how they have heard the voice of the Lord from the scriptures. Provide time for the class to review their personal scripture study goals, and make adjustments as needed.

Video options

To enhance student understanding of how we can recognize the Lord’s voice, you could share one of the following videos available in Gospel Library: