Can Children Hear The Voice Of God?
Can children hear the voice of God?It’s so easy to think, ‘Children are young, so their faith needs more time to grow,’ which is certainly true.Their spirits, like their bodies, might have areas that need development. Yet, there’s a vital truth weshouldn’t overlook: despite their youth, their spirit is already fully formed and whole!Have you ever really examined the tiny hands and feet of a newborn? They’re so tiny, yet they have allthe perfect joints and bones for movement. Their fuzzy palms and soles are covered in an array of littlewrinkles, both big and small. And those fingernails and toenails! It’s amazing to see those ten shiny, clearnails grow a bit more each day. They might be tiny, but they’re complete with every detail!The same principle applies to spirituality. Children’s spirits are whole, complete beings, which is why thenotion that “children can’t possibly understand spiritual matters of this magnitude?” is often amisconception. Surprisingly (or perhaps more evidently), children are fully capable of fulfilling the spiritualtasks assigned to them. As stated in the scripture, “The sheep hear the voice of the shepherd.” (John10:3) Children, like adults, are also His sheep, and being His sheep, they are capable of hearing the voiceof Jesus. In the Old Testament, the well known story of a young Samuel who heard the voice of God. “Samuel,Samuel,” God called to him, and when the Lord called his name, Samuel heard the voice and ran to Elithe priest. Two intriguing details about this scene are that Samuel heard the voice of God and that hedidn’t recognize who the voice belonged to (1 Samuel 3).First, Samuel heard the voice of the Lord. Was it because he was a special child? Not necessarily. Just asElijah was a regular man just like us (James 5:17), young Samuel, lying down to sleep before the Ark ofthe Covenant, was a child just like any of us. The God who called Samuel by his name is the same Godwho calls our children by their names today. It’s not because Samuel was a special child, and it’s notbecause some children are special, it’s just because that’s who God is. Starting with Adam, God hasalways come to us first (Genesis 3:9). It will be the same for our children. They will be able to hear Hisvoice as He comes to them first. Children are not supposed to be unruly and uncontrollable creatures. They have the potential to bemature believers who understand how to surrender and obey God’s Word. This perspective significantlychanges how we view our children. When we fully recognize that children are spiritual beings and begin torelate to them, their spiritual potential is unleashed, and their relationships with us (their parents) andother adults are often reset in a healthier direction. When children hear the voice of God, we no longerneed to convince them or push them to understand; they naturally obey.Going back to the story of Samuel, isn’t it interesting that when God called Samuel’s name, Samuel didn’trealize who the voice belonged to? Well, when you think about it, that makes sense, because as a child,Samuel had never heard or learned that God could speak to him “personally.” So it wasn’t until Eli thepriest informed him, “If you hear the voice again, answer, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’”That’s when Samuel began to respond to God.We can tell and teach our children. The wonderful mystery that God can communicate with thempersonally. https://youtu.be/hVSlHFORfnc