Use this children’s sermon about God calling Samuel to teach kids to listen for God’s voice in their own lives.
Scripture: 1 Samuel 3
Needed: a pair of headphones
Children’s Sermon
Show children your headphones and ask, Why do people use headphones?
One reason people use headphones is to hear something better. If it’s noisy around you, you can put your headphones in and hear what you’re listening to.
That’s kind of what we need to do if we want to hear God speaking to us.
True freedom in Christ (John 8:36) — a complete Bible lesson with printable activities, free from the Sunday School Store.
In the Bible, there was a little boy named Samuel. He lived at the Tabernacle serving Eli the priest. One night, God called to Samuel. “Samuel,” God said. But Samuel didn’t know it was God calling him. He thought it was the priest, Eli. So, he got up and went to Eli’s room.
But Eli said he didn’t call him, so he sent Samuel back to bed. God called Samuel two more times, and Samuel kept thinking it was Eli calling him. Finally, Eli figured out that God was calling Samuel. He told Samuel that the next time God called him, Samuel should say…
(Read 1 Samuel 3:9.)
Jesus teaches about prayer (Matthew 6:5–9) — a complete, ready-to-teach lesson with printable activities, free from the Sunday School Store.
“Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”
God did call Samuel again and when Samuel said, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening,” God talked to him! In fact, God talked to Samuel a lot after that. But he had to learn to listen to God’s voice first.
It’s the same in our lives. If we want God to speak to us, we have to listen for Him. We might not hear a voice as Samuel did, but we’ll hear God speaking in our minds and in our hearts.
What do you think are some ways we can listen for God’s voice?
We can read the Bible and pray and pay attention in church. God speaks to us through all of those things. And when we read the Bible or pray or pay attention in church, it’s like we’re putting our headphones in to listen to God.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we want to hear from You. We want to hear You speaking to our hearts and minds. Help us to listen for and pay attention to You. Speak, Lord, for Your servants are listening. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
You can also find this children’s sermon for Kindle or in print in my book, Children’s Sermons about Samuel and David.