Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 7 (day seven)
I count 5 spiritual disciplines utilized in our text this week that we rarely attempt:
v.2 the lament prayer – We sometimes find it impolite to come before God emotionally, when the freedom of uninhibited prayer is exactly what we need. There are numerous examples of lament psalms that are great guides for difficult prayer (e.g. Psalm 6 & Psalm 55)
v.3 Repent + _______ – we hear the call to repentance in Scripture. The next step is to rid your life of that which you are repentant of. You may need to physically destroy an item that is causing you to sin further or reminding you of your former ways.
v.5 & 9 intercessory prayer – when you are praying for yourself do not forget to pray for others.
v.6 fasting – this is a perfect uncomfortable reminder that we need God more than we need food. Why not skip lunch occasionally, to pray, and let your hunger pangs point you to heaven?
v.12 commemorate – In the text Samuel marks God’s faithfulness with a stone. It is good to find a small item that will remind you of what God has done in a specific instance. Some people like to pick out a small stone from an important spot and keep it in their pocket, others like to write a specific verse on a small sheet of paper and keep it on their dashboard, there is no limit to what you can find to remind you of what God has done.
I hope you can find the time this week to try one of these 1 Samuel 7 spiritual disciplines out in your personal walk with God. I know they will increase your faith. Be adventurous in your faith and try these kinds of new things. These new things have worked for thousands of years.