God Desires to Be Our All in All !!
When faith in God wavers, faith
in man-made objects increases.
So, the people of Israel carry the
ark of the covenant into battle,
confident that its presence will
ensure victory over the Philistines.
Instead, they suffer a shattering
defeat in which 30,000 lives are lost
& the ark of the covenant is captured
Upon hearing the news, Eli falls
backward and breaks his neck.
And it remains for Samuel to assume
the reins of leadership and guide
the people back to repentance.
Dear Lord, You are almighty and in
control to execute Your perfect plan;
and You desire our Devotion to You.
Having learn from the experience
of the Israelites in Your Word to us,
we purpose to Turn To You for Needs.
We will Rely On You for deliverance
and have no other gods before You.
And we need to Follow Your Will,
for nothing can substitute Your
rule in our heart and life. Amen.
Lord, we Turn To You for Needs:
After the Philistines captured the
Ark of God, they took it from the
battleground at Ebenezer to the
town of Ashdod. They carried the
Ark of God into the temple of Dagon
& placed it beside an idol of Dagon.
But when the citizens of Ashdod
went to see it in the morning, Dagon
had fallen with the face to the ground
in front of the Ark of the Lord!
So they took Dagon and put it
in his place again (1 Sam 5:1-3).
Lord, sometimes we fool ourselves
into thinking that You God can
coexist among our idols. Forgive us
to thinking that Your holiness can
be compartmentalised; and that
Your hands can be tied so as not to
interfere with the things which we’ve
decided we must have to be happy.
Help us to turn away from whatever
we are looking to for significance,
security or pleasure & turn instead
to You to meet our needs. Amen.
Lord, we aspire to Rely On You:
The Ark remained in Kirathjearin
for 20 yrs. During that time Israel
mourned as it seemed the Lord
abandoned them. Then Samuel
said: If you want to return to the
Lord, get rid of your foreign gods…
Just as Samuel was sacrificing
the burnt offering, the Philistines
arrived for battle. The Lord spoke
with a mighty voice of thunder and
the Philistines were thrown into
such confusion that the Israelites
defeated them (1 Sam 7:1-10).
Lord, just as You answered and
moved on behalf of the Israelites,
You move and work on behalf of
Your people today. You are a God
who hears & answers. And we Seek
Your Help in our challenges. Amen.
Lord, we need to Follow Your Will:
But Samuel’s sons did not walk in
his ways; they… took bribes and
perverted justice. Then all the elders
of Israel came to Samuel and said:
Look, you are old and your sons do
not walk in your ways. Now make us
a king to judge us like all the nations..
And the Lord said to Samuel: the
people… have not rejected you but
they have rejected Me, that I should
not reign over them (1 Sam 8:3-7).
Lord, thank You for the times I prayed
for something and You did not give
it to me because it would not have
been good. Help me O Holy Spirit
to pray according to Your Will.
Speak to me as I read Your Word
so that I can grow in understanding.
And enable me to pray in alignment
with what really pleases You. Amen.