JANUARY 24, 2024
Topic: THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S PRESENCE TO THE UNLIKELY
Text: 1 Samuel 3: 1-21
Memory Verse: 1 Samuel 3:21- “And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh because the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.”
Samuel is the covenant child of Hannah, the wife of Elkanah. Samuel was serving with the Priest Eli. The Bible also added, “The child Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli” (v. 1a). We do not know how old Samuel is at this point, but he is probably an adolescent or a young man. The last we heard was that he “grew on, and increased in favour both with Yahweh and also with men” (2:26). Even though he was a child, he gave himself totally to God, he stepped up his relationship with God and the Lord manifested His presence to him in an unusual way. God is known for speaking to unlikely people at unlikely seasons of their lives. What is the Lord challenging us to do? There is need to step up our relationship with God. The Lord said in James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” One practical thing that Samuel did was to cherish the place of the presence of God. The Bible says in 1 Sam 3:3b, that “and Samuel had laid down in the temple of Yahweh, where the ark of God was.” It is like being in Church for prayer meetings, or attending Bible study, or fellowshipping with other believers, wherever the word of God is going to be taught becomes a priority.
The closer you are to the Lord, the more He manifests His presence to you. That is why Saint Augustine said, “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement”. Whatever is keeping you from getting deeper with Him, it is time to take it off your table and give priority to God in your life. Furthermore, Henry Blackaby said, “Jesus taught that your highest priority must be your relationship with Him. If anything detracts you from that relationship, that activity is not from God. God will not ask you to do something that hinders your relationship with Christ.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we ask for the grace to give more attention to you in our daily walk with you. Help us to remove the distractions in our lives and be fully focused on you in Jesus’ name.