Are We Missing God’s Whispers? | Samuel & Hearing God | Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast S4E1
Sep 20, 2026
Summary
In a noisy world, it can be hard to hear anything—let alone a whisper from God. So how do we know when God is speaking? And what gets in the way of our ability to listen? Kicking off Season 4 of Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast and our four-week series “God Is Still Speaking: Listening in a Noisy World,” Revs. Trudy and Brittany explore the story of Samuel’s call in 1 Samuel 3:1-10—and what this ancient story might have to say to us today.
Detail
In a noisy world, it can be hard to hear anything—let alone a whisper from God. So how do we know when God is speaking? And what gets in the way of our ability to listen?
Kicking off Season 4 of Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast and our four-week series “God Is Still Speaking: Listening in a Noisy World,” Revs. Trudy and Brittany explore the story of Samuel’s call in 1 Samuel 3:1-10—and what this ancient story might have to say to us today.
Samuel hears a voice calling his name but doesn’t recognize it as God. Eli, exhausted and caught between his responsibilities, his family and his faith, initially doesn’t recognize it either. Together, the female pastors of First UMC of San Diego explore what it means to listen for God when we’re overwhelmed, uncertain or simply too tired to hear.
In this conversation, they explore:
- Why it can be so difficult to hear God
- How exhaustion, anxiety and the competing voices around us can drown out God’s voice
- What God’s voice might actually sound or feel like—and how we might recognize it
- The tension between what God wants, what we want and what others want from us
- What Samuel and Eli can teach us about healthy leadership, mentorship, and making space for something new
- Why endings and periods of uncertainty can be part of making room for what comes next
The story of Samuel reminds us that God’s voice may not always come as a dramatic revelation. Sometimes it is more like a whisper—a persistent feeling, question, conviction or invitation that we can't quite let go of.
This is the first conversation in our four-week series, “God Is Still Speaking: Listening in a Noisy World,” exploring what the voice of God might sound and look like in our lives today. Next week, we'll turn to Isaiah 6:1-8 and “A Voice in the Temple.”
Whether you're exploring progressive Christianity, deconstructing your faith, studying the Bible, pursuing justice, wrestling with theology, or simply asking honest questions about Scripture, we hope you'll join the conversation.
Reflection Questions
- How do you understand God’s silence and God’s voice?
- What voices are competing for your attention right now, and which ones have you allowed to carry the most weight?
- When have you experienced an unexpected interruption that, in hindsight, may have been an invitation to something new?
Continue the Conversation
Connect with our faith community in person or online as you reflect on the themes of this episode:
- Convergence discussion group (Sundays at 12 PM)
- Join our Patreon community
Timestamps
00:00 Are we missing God’s whispers?
01:29 Samuel hears a voice in the night
04:11 Why is God’s voice so hard to hear?
06:38 When the demands of life drown out God
09:50 Are we simply too exhausted to listen?
12:23 What healthy leadership looks like
16:54 What does it mean for God to speak to us?
17:38 What does God’s voice sound and feel like?
20:45 Hearing God amid anxiety, corruption and social turmoil
22:21 “The lamp is still burning”
25:51 Reflection questions
