By Rachel Oke
As the CAC Director of Youth Affairs, Pastor Samson O. Gbuyiro officially addressed the gathering of thousands of youths at the opening session of International Youth Conference (Ikeji II conference centre) on Wednesday, August 30th, 2023, one major point his charge emphasised was the need for participants to emulate the Biblical Samuel who at a young age, positioned himself to hear God's voice.
Addressing the participants at Joseph Ayo Babalola Memorial International Miracle Camp, Ikeji-Arakeji, on the topic "Speak Lord, for Your servant hears" Pastor Gbuyiro stressed the need for them to make the young Samuel's statement to God in 1 Samuel 3:10 their focus in the course of the program.
According to him, God's greatest desire in the midst of His people is to speak to them, but only few people come to the gathering of God's children with the desire to hear God.
"A lot of people come to the presence of God with a long list of prayer points; you can hardly find people who come with the desire to hear God speak. God does not speak into the air, God speaks to people who are willing to hear. God will not speak to men what they love to hear, He will rather speak to them what they need to hear," he added.
The Director of Youth also stated that every major miracle in a man's life begins with divine direction which comes by the voice of God, adding that Samuel's life would have ended as a common person in Shiloh if he had not heard God's voice.
He then urged everyone to set their hearts towards hearing God, saying that, "God will not speak until there are men to hear, until there is willingness from men to hear Him."
"As long as men are not willing to hear or respond to God, God will not speak and until God breaks His silence over a person, a nation or a community, nothing will work," said the Director.
Concluding his charge, Pastor Gbuyiro made an altar call stating that God wants sinners to come to Him, leading many lives to salvation.