1 Samuel 3:1-10 (AMP)
1 NOW THE boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; there was no frequent or widely spread vision.
2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had dimmed so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place.
3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was lying down
4 When the Lord called, Samuel! And he answered, Here I am.
5 He ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. Eli said, I did not call you; lie down again. So he went and lay down.
6 And the Lord called again, Samuel! And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I; you did call me. Eli answered, I did not call, my son; lie down again.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord was not yet revealed to him.
8 And the Lord called Samuel the third time. And he went to Eli and said, Here I am, for you did call me. Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.
9 So Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down. And if He calls you, you shall say, Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel! Samuel! Then Samuel answered, Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.

I always say the only one who knows what God’s voice sounds like is the ear listening and hearing from Him. Nobody can describe the voice of God to you-you know and you recognise it.
Samuel was only a child when he first heard the Lord’s voice, he knew someone was calling but because he had no frame of reference, he deferred to his mentor, until Eli pointed Samuel to the “voice.”
We can always recognise the voice of loved ones when they call out to us from anywhere, we don’t mistake them for someone else-sometimes, we even say some stranger sound like a loved one. But nobody else sounds like God.
According to Psalm 93:4, God’s voice is like the sound of many waters and mighty-what can equate that sound? Nothing.
Samuel heard the voice of God but did not recognize it. Gideon had a physical revelation from God, and he still doubted what he had heard to the point of asking for a sign three times in Judges 6:17–22,36–40. How can we know that God is the one speaking? We have the complete Bible, the inspired Word of God, to read, study, and meditate on, 2 Timothy 3:16–17.
How many of us are like Samuel? Sitting in church but not hearing the Lord’s voice, some of us hear His voice but rather than answer, we go to “mentors” to help us hear or understand what it is the Lord is saying to us.
Or maybe like Gideon, you keep testing and retesting to make sure that the voice you heard is the Lord’s.
To hear God’s voice though, we must belong to God. Jesus said, “only His sheep listen to His voice; John 10:27. Those who hear God’s voice are those who belong to Him—those who have been saved by His grace through faith in the Lord Jesus.
Samuel needed an external voice to tell him to listen and answer to the Lord’s voice, do you also require an external voice to confirm what the Lord has said to you in the secret?
Most of us have become too accustomed to hearing other voices like Samuel was to hearing Eli’s voice; therefore, when God called to him, it sounded like Eli. But God wants us to listen to Him, so He speaks to us through a voice that we will recognize. Sometimes it may sound like our own voice; sometimes it may sound like the voice of someone we know. But no matter what voice the Lord uses to gain your attention or speak to you, remember that His voice is mighty (Psalm 68:3) and will always bring peace when He speaks to us.
God’s voice mostly resounds from the pages of the bible unto the pages of our hearts today, but we must have a listening ear to hear Him speak to us.
Psalm 29:3-9 tell us all about the power and might of the voice of God-His voice is full of majesty.
When we get intimate and familiar with the Lord, we easily recognise His voice and can discount every other voice clamouring for our attention.
God is always speaking, but are you listening and paying attention? Job 33:14. The voice of God is clear and peaceful.
Shalom