Today's Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 1-13
The book of 1 Samuel begins with the story of Hannah. I've used Hannah's example often in prayer. Hannah was praying so fervently for a child and she promised the Lord that if He blessed her with a son, that the son would serve the Lord all the days of his life. I think that what Hannah prayed was that her answered prayer would bring glory to God. I think about James 4:3--"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." Sometimes when we pray, God's Will is crystal clear in a situation. But, more often, He requires us to fight for that revelation. A couple of years ago (Wow, has it been that long?!) I began praying for something. I used Hannah's motive and that verse from James for my first defense in the matter. I asked myself, "Could this answered prayer bring glory to God?" My conclusion was, "Yes. It could." So, I continued praying. I prayed and prayed for nearly a year-and-a-half and God kept answering "Wait. I promised. Have Faith. Remember Abraham." I was surprised when the answer finally came back with a "No." It was a devastating blow. It was shortly after that (around May/June 2011) when I began my first round of fasting for God's direction. At the end of those forty days I had a new conclusion. Some would wonder if it was cruel for God to allow me to pray for something for eighteen months if He knew the answer was "No." But, I think it was a loving and wise move on His part. If He had slammed the door right then, what would I have learned? Certainly not perseverance. If I'm willing to pray that fervently seeking God's Will, then I have to be prepared to get to the end of the road and find a "No" waiting for me. That's part of it, folks. Also, I believe that His answer early on, "Wait. I promised. Have Faith Remember Abraham" never changed. That's still the answer. The problem was, I had made a wrong turn. He didn't change His answer, my compass was just broken.
Samuel. Now Samuel is the answer to Hannah's prayer and she gives him to the Lord just after Samuel is weaned. I've known this story virtually all of my life. But, I never realized how closely my early life resembled Samuel's. Most of us know the story of the young boy Samuel asleep at night and the voice of the Lord calls out to him, "Samuel." And Samuel arises and runs to Eli thinking he is the one who called. The part that interested me tonight was that Samuel wasn't asleep just anywhere. He was asleep in the temple in front of the Ark of the Covenant. He had made his home the dwelling of the Lord. When I was three years old my parents decided that the Lord was calling them into full-time evangelism. Dad left the security of a church position for the road. Most of the time, I was right there with them. They put together a program with music, illusions and puppets that presented Biblical truths and the Gospel of Christ. This production was huge with a commercial trailer truck full of equipment. It took six hours to put the stage/sets/lights/music together for each show and two hours after to take it down. These shows were done 90% of the time in a church sanctuary. So at the age of three, my home became the sanctuary. I would take my naps on the pew. I would sit and read books or color while they worked. Looking back, I spent more time in church sanctuaries than any other place in my childhood. That makes so much sense to me now. When Dad took another full-time church position when I was nine, I still spent that much time in the church sanctuary. You see, Dad and I are two peas-in-a-pod. And I always wanted to be hanging out with him. Well, he worked at the church. So, that was my home, too. As I grew up I still spent most of my days at the church. I might have been practicing the piano or a practicing a song to sing, but a great deal of the time I would spend just sitting on the pew. I get my best ideas and inspirations when I'm just sitting quietly in the sanctuary. I'm still that way. Dad is serving at a truly AMAZING church now. I live eight hours away from home. Usually, within a few hours of arriving in Andalusia, you'll find me in the church sanctuary. Singing, playing the piano, praying, sitting quietly, quoting Scripture. I think after reading in Samuel tonight, I've figured out why. I'm not truly at home until I'm in the sanctuary. I was raised there.
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