Message from the Monthly Flyer May 2016

Samuel, the man who made the difference – Part 2 Breakthrough in excellence

1 Samuel 3:2-10 – AMP – Yet it happened at that time, as Eli was lying down in his own place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well). and the [oil] lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, that the LORD called Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.” He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call you; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. Then the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know [or personally experience] the LORD, and the word of the LORD was not yet revealed [directly] to him. So the LORD called Samuel a third time. And he stood and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli understood that it was the LORD [who was] calling the boy. So Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and it shall be that if He calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the LORD came and stood and called as at the previous times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

The time had come for God to reveal Himself personally to Samuel. He had never heard the voice of God before and God visited him. Even if Eli’s ways were not pleasing in the sight of God, we can still give him the credit for instructing Samuel on how to respond in case he heard his name called again. God visited Samuel at last because of his integrity and established him as the prophet of Israel. The Lord had noticed that his heart was pure and that he did not allow the perversity of his mentors to influence him. He was not discouraged in his service to God, even though he lived with corrupted ministers. And in due time God called him, consecrated him and established him in his prophetic ministry. God revealed Himself to Samuel personally, and that was the beginning of a powerful ministry sealed with the stamp of God as long as he lived. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 3:19-21: “Now Samuel grew; and the Lord was with him and He let none of his words fail [to be fulfilled]. And all Israel from Dan [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south] knew that Samuel was appointed as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord continued to appear in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.” Samuel had surely prayed for a long time and longed for this special moment where he would hear the voice of God at last, and God had answered his prayer. Samuel must have been glad that he was patient and did not give up serving God in a time of his life where he did not really understand why he had to live in the temple.

Samuel must have had the tenacity, the endurance and the perseverance of his mother in his genes. Glory be to God for the mothers who train their children in the ways and in the fear of the Lord. Glory be to God for the fathers who are good mentors and excellent models for their children. Glory be to God for the parents who are not a stumbling block for their children. Glory be to God for the children who honor their parents by keeping the faith that has been instilled to them at a very early stage of their life. And glory be to God for the children who walk in the ways of the Lord even if their parents, leaders and mentors have gone astray: none of them will lose their reward. Every investment and every seed that we sow in God’s ways will eventually bring forth fruit, soon or later. For God is not unjust to ignore our efforts to please Him by doing His will. It is such a great reward to know that God calls us His friends and that He has written our names in His book of Life. 1 Samuel 3:1b tells us that “the word of the LORD was rare and precious in those days; visions [that is, new revelations of divine truth] were not widespread.” But what could be the reason for that? We can say that there was proper receptacle to receive the Word of God. The channels that God could have used to send His Word to the people were defiled. Those who had the responsibility to bring the Word and the vision of God to the people were corrupted. But God had set a small boy apart who was growing up in stature and in favor with God and with men. God Himself was taking care of him, since his teachers and mentors were not up to the task. We can enter in our calling even if our leaders and those who are supposed to be a model in our lives have failed. And the corrupted environment where we are living does not condemn us to defile ourselves with evil deeds; moreover, it is not an excuse not to live in integrity and excellence, on the contrary.

If we hold fast unto God, we will also make the difference in a corrupted environment. Our duty as children of light in this world is to honor God by walking in excellence just like Samuel or Daniel and his three friends in Babylon (See Daniel chapter 1 and chapter 3:1-30). Even though immorality is wide spread in the world, God is still allowing His children to be in the world because His light shines brighter than the darkness that surrounds us, and with Him as our Chief Commandant, we can put this world upside down and win many souls for the kingdom of God. When we are in the plan and in the will of God, even if the environment is hostile, God will visit us and lift us up in due time. God will sometimes leave us in an uncomfortable situation. But that does not mean that we cannot stand out from the rest. Our true identity is revealed trough the fire of adversity. Let us be faithful in everything we do, for God sees all things, and remuneration time will always come, no matter how long it takes. There would be not enough space here to share all our thoughts about the life of the prophet Samuel, but he is the only prophet mentioned in the Bible who had the privilege to anoint two major kings, namely Saul and David. Samuel did not conform to the reality that surrounded him and he was great in the sight of God. God rewards integrity and He honors those who honor Him. He honored Samuel for all his sacrifices and renouncements and made him to become a great prophet in Israel. God needs to work with sure and reliable tools. Let us be the reliable tools that He can use for His glory. mt