Rise Up Like Samuel

Samuel grew up in the eyes of the Lord. He was a respectable, humble, and faithful young boy. Samuel was trained in the temple to assist Eli with the priesthood duties. He learned the roles and responsibilities quickly. Samuel listened to Eli and feared the Lord. On the other hand, Eli’s two sons were sleeping with their female servants. 

Could you imagine everything that was going through young Samuel’s mind and heart? He was away from his family, in a new environment, and had to adjust to a priesthood lifestyle. The transition of living with Eli and his sons could have brought Samuel sleepless nights, restlessness, fear, and even homesickness. These mixed emotions could have left him feeling discouraged, lonely, or even depressed, but God was with Samuel.

One night, Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord near the Ark of God. Suddenly, God called Samuel two times, but he mistook the callings for Eli’s command. He arose and ran quickly to Eli, responding, “Here I am, you called me”(1 Sam. 3:5).

Eli instructed Samuel to lie back down and sleep because he didn’t call him. Both times, Samuel didn’t realize it was God calling him. On the third time, Eli discerned that it was the Lord who was calling Samuel, so he instructed him to go lie down again and wait for the Lord to call on him. As Samuel lay down to sleep, he was attentive and quietly waited upon the Lord.

“Then the Lord came and stood and called as at the previous times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel answered, ‘Speak, for Your servant is listening’”(1 Sam. 3:9–10).

The Lord had never spoken to Samuel personally before this. But on this night, the Lord intentionally called Samuel and conversed with him. Samuel experienced intimacy with the Lord, and God shared His plans with Samuel.  Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? In your busy schedule, are you making time to be still in the presence of the Lord? How attuned are you with the Lord Almighty’s voice and His Word? Are you praying expectantly for the Lord’s response—however long it may take—or are you distracted by the noise that surrounds you? God wants to share everything with you: His plans, purpose, promises, desires, and His everlasting grace through His Son Jesus Christ.

We live in a society where we are constantly bombarded with all kinds of distractions like smartphones, iPads, and social media. These gadgets are not making our lives easier, instead, they have the power to replace our intimacy with God. Answering God’s calling requires us to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. What comes with that calling is an obedient heart to rise up faithfully and respond like Samuel: “Here I am, your servant is listening.” Are we waiting, ready, and excited for the Lord’s call? Are you ready to be His instrument for His good works? Trust that God will lead us and empower us to do the impossible and extraordinary.

Samuel went on to be a faithful priest, prophet, and the greatest judge for the Lord and His people, the Israelites. Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. The Lord was pleased with Samuel and every word he spoke came to pass.

Rise Up and Witness

Can a man haunted by demons and living among tombs teach us something profound about our own journey from death to life? At first glance, when reading about the demoniac in Mark 5 who was healed from a legion of demons, we might not see many parallels between his life and ours. I was humbled to find we had several similarities. 

This man was living in burial caves. He was literally residing among the dead. After his encounter with Jesus, we see a drastic transformation as he rejoins other living people in his hometown. Isn’t that just what Jesus does? He brings every one of us from death to life. Before encountering Him, we are dead to sins. We know nothing of a life apart from sin. After receiving His boundless grace, we experience life. We indeed know what it is to go from death to life and from shame to freedom. 

In Mark 5:19, Jesus instructs this man, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” This man is instructed to go and be a witness for Christ. The word witness can feel intimidating, but it really is simple. It’s telling others about the evidence of Christ in your life. Jesus’ command to this once demoniac and now healed man should sound familiar to us. It parallels His command to all of us in Acts 1:8, to go out and be His witnesses. If you feel that you don’t currently have a purpose, may you be reassured that you do. Your purpose today is to tell others about the ways God has worked and moved in your life. How He has helped and healed you. Tell about when He brought hope and joy to your dreariest of days. Share how His peace persisted in the midst of your chaos. Talk about how, despite your long list of faults, His grace has never known an end. I know you can do it.

Just like this man, we each have a story of how God brought us from death to life. May we have the boldness to share it with others today. Your actions could change the course of eternity for someone else. God’s power is at work in you.

Rise Up in Peace

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”                                                                                     –Luke 7:50

The history of the pharisee and the sinful woman, which is found in Luke 7:36–50, is one that presents forgiveness, salvation, and faith. The Bible tells us that Jesus was invited to eat at the house of a pharisee named Simon. In that city, there lived a woman of dubious reputation who was noted for her bad life. That woman knew who Jesus was and what He could do. She went to the pharisee’s house and entered the activity. She went to where Jesus was, and given the magnitude of His presence, she prostrated herself before Him and quickly began to cry. Tears flowed profusely down her cheeks. And so, she knelt before Jesus, wet His feet with her tears, and kissed them. With her long hair, the woman dried the Lord’s feet. The woman had an alabaster jar full of perfume, which she also poured on Jesus’ feet. Faced with such a scene, Simon judged the woman’s life externally while Jesus valued the sincere and deep repentance that existed in her heart, through her act. Jesus told Simon another small parable—He taught that he who is forgiven for a greater debt will love that act of forgiving more. Jesus, in regard to the humility of the woman’s heart, told the woman: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The experience of forgiveness and salvation lived out by this woman is what each of us has gone through. Her faith saved her. She believed in God’s grace and accepted it. I still remember when I accepted the Lord at age 13 and when I was reconciled with Him at 33, both of which were some of the most beautiful experiences of my life. At each of those experiences at different stages of life, I felt in my heart the assurance that I was being forgiven and accepted. That faith provoked joy to recognize that I was genuinely liberated by our Savior. Experiencing God’s forgiveness causes our lives to be transformed, and we are healed, freed, renewed, and restored for the glory of His name. Forgiveness has a restorative effect that renews all areas of our lives. And it is there, at the feet of Jesus Christ, that we find salvation, forgiveness, hope, and peace.

My beloved sisters, do you have any situations that take away your peace? Our Father gives us the opportunity every day to come before His presence and talk about our matters with Him. His love is so great that He invites us, through prayer, to go before the throne of grace to present everything that takes away our peace. Let us prostrate ourselves with faith in His presence and leave everything there that takes away our quietness and joy. At His feet is where we will receive consolation, acceptance, forgiveness, hope, and peace. And again, our beloved Jesus will say, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Rise Up Like Hannah

The name Hannah is a palindrome because it is read the same backwards and forwards. Like her palindrome name, she demonstrated her steadfast faith when she was feeling down and in anguish and when she was rejoicing after receiving an answer to her prayers. Hannah was a faithful woman no matter which way you look at her life, backwards or forwards. She trusted God and acknowledged His power and goodness when she was praying for a son, when she had her son, when she felt an intense grief, and when she felt exuberant joy.

Hannah was facing difficult and challenging circumstances that turned her to the Lord in persistent prayer. She was one of two wives of Elkanah—the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. Peninnah kept provoking Hannah because of that. Nowadays, we would say that Peninnah was bullying her. Hannah felt discouraged and anguished. Despite this difficult family situation, she prayed and wept for a son, promising to dedicate him to God.

She received an answer to her prayer—in 1 Samuel 1:17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” Hannah then gave birth to Samuel and presented him to God, just as she had promised. 1 Samuel 2:21 says, “The boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.”

God not only blessed Hannah with the birth of Samuel, but He also gave her three more sons and two daughters. Samuel was used by God; he became a prophet, he anointed Saul and David as kings and served as a judge and as a priest to the nation of Israel.

Hannah trusted God. What about you? I think Hannah would tell you to keep praying because God answers prayers. All we know about Hannah’s life is just in the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, but she stands out as a reminder of faith—to trust in the Lord and the power of prayer.

In the first chapter of 1 Samuel, Hannah was in deep anguish, pouring out her heart to God. In chapter two, Hannah prayed again, but this time, expressing her joy, she worshiped and celebrated the sovereignty of God. Hannah rose up!