The Everyday Prayer

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.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 7 (day five)  vs. 12 Then Samuel took a stone…and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”  True repentance helps us see and understand God more accurately in the three tenses.  It’s in the name of the stone- Ebenezer “Thus far the Lord has helped us”.  Only after they repented, the Israelites recognized: 1- God was helping in the past (thru sorrow, defeat, depression) 2- God is helping in the present (joy, deliverance, nearness) 3- God will help in the future (His nature, character, promises are un-changing).  There was gratitude for the past.  There was joy in the present.  There was hope for the future.

Romans 2:4- The kindness of God leads you to repentance.  2 Peter 3:9- not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. Psalm 46:1- God is a very present help.

Anyone want/need that kind of perspective and hope?  Repent and believe!!

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 7 (day four)

Samuel was an intercessor for Israel, just like Moses had been.  Both men had been set aside for the Lord from birth and they stood in the gap between God and Israel.  Moses had stood between Israel and the Egyptians, now Samuel stands before Israel and the Philistines.  In both cases, what looked to be overwhelming obstacles to Israel were completely removed from before them.  These two men were held in the highest esteem as intercessors.  Jeremiah 15:1 says, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people;”  God held them up as the ultimate intercessors.

How would you be known to God?  Would you be considered a faithful and true prayer warrior?  Do others see a visible outpouring of God’s Spirit as a result of your praying?  We have a promise…Matthew 21:22…”And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”  Samuel believed it…Moses believed it…do you?

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 7 (day three) 

“Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us.” 

Samuel stood in a place of agency on behalf of the Lord and in behalf of the people.  This is the essence of priesthood.  When people are weak, they seek out another who is stronger.  In the fellowship of disciples of Jesus Christ, we will each take our turn in the weak seat.  And we become like priests for one another, announcing God’s provision, proclaiming God’s forgiveness, telling the truth when it’s hard, pointing out his presence.  When one who is weak approaches you for help in seeking God, will you rise to the occasion?

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 7 (day two) 

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” vs. 3 (emphasis added)

Repentance can be exhausting. Particularly if you have traveled so far from the Lord that your life bears little resemblance to the place he had called you. We build walls, make excuses, take shortcuts and then wonder why he has removed his blessing from us. When you finally clean house it takes a LOT of effort, but effort for the Lord is never mis-spent. God did hear and deliver Israel, and he will do the same for you. There is not amount of distance that repentance cannot bridge.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 7 (day one)

“In repentance and rest you shall be saved.”–Isaiah 30:15

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up. . . and named it Ebenezer “stone of [God’s] help”–1 Samuel 7:12

It was a sermon in stone.  An object lesson.  A reminder of the victory and rest that comes when God has all of my heart rather than just part of it.

Samuel traveled the length of the nation preaching his powerful sermon–v 3.  As hearts began to soften, he called the nation to a solemn assembly at Mizpah–a moment of public repentance.  When the Philistines were not amused and sent an army to break up this revolt-in-the-making, God came!  Came to help.  Came to give victory.

After the battle was over,  Samuel wanted Israel (us) to mark and remember the lesson.  When I repent ( honest with God, full surrender, single identity), God comes to help!  What wasn’t possible before, now is.  Then I can rest.

 

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 3 (day seven)

Samuel says, “Here I am” five times in this passage: v. 4, 5, 6, 8, & 16, each one directed to Eli.  The first four Samuel calls out to Eli with blind allegiance looking for answers.  The fifth “here I am” was different though. Between verse 8 and verse 16 Samuel changed, and Eli inquires. Samuel had met God.  Every single time you connect with God it changes you and your relationships.

It is like when Moses met with God to receive the 10 commandments.  The commandments were good and necessary for the greater good, but Moses changed too having connected with God, Exodus 34:29-30:    When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.  When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.

A meeting with God is transformative, far more transformative than anything else you have planned this week.  May you spend your time wisely seeking out the voice of the Lord more than any other.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 3 (day six)

It is an incredible thing that God spoke to Samuel, but have you ever considered, what if Samuel never shared with others the things God had said? What if he just kept it all to himself out of fear or lack of confidence? Personally, I think God would have moved on and found someone else. God spoke to Samuel precisely because he was chosen to be a prophetic voice to the House of Israel; he was intended to speak into others what God had prepared for him to say.

Truth is we speak because God speaks. As God’s words brought life and conviction to others through Samuel, God does the same through his Church (the people not the building). We were never intended to keep to ourselves; mind our own business. When God speaks, and he is speaking, he has every intention that we in turn speak them to another. You are Samuel; we all are.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 3 (day five)

Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’“.   Samuel comes with confusion and questions. Eli discerns that it IS the Lord. Yet doesn’t do the work for Samuel. He doesn’t shortchange Samuel by over explaining the situation. He doesn’t give him the answers. He doesn’t tell stories about his own glory days. He simply encourages and empowers Samuel to correctly listen and respond to the voice of the Lord.

This is a great example for parents and grandparents to follow. We must create a relationship and climate where there is freedom and opportunity for our kids and teenagers to ask questions. Then, we can empower and help our children to do the work of understanding and discovering the voice and guidance of the Lord. It could be a spiritual turning point for them as they grow and mature and begin to own their own faith. (See 1 Samuel 2:26)