The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 3:7,
"Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him..."
When the Lord first called Samuel, Samuel had to be schooled by the priest, Eli, to recognize it was in fact the Lord who was calling him.
I am reminded that those who have served the Lord in one capacity or another were normal people like you and me and had to be instructed in the things of the Lord, whether through another, as Eli with Samuel, or the Lord himself, as with Isaiah for instance. It took three years with the Lord himself and the arrival of the Holy Spirit to get the apostles up to speed.
Always exceptions it seems, though. I don't know what to think of John the Baptist. Here was a man who was functioning as a prophet even before he was born! "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby [John the Baptist in his mother's womb at the end of the second trimester] leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit... 'As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.'" Luke 1:41, 44. (As an aside, you don't have to go any further than this passage to recognize the practice of abortion is murder.)
Outside of John the Baptist and a few others, the folks that served the Lord in specific and unusual ways in the Scriptures did not arrive at their occupation by "earning it" or developing those "spiritual disciplines" who transformed themselves into what we might think as spiritual elites. No, they were just like you and me, tapped by God and prepared by him for service, either through the agency of others God used, or directly by God himself.
Did any of them know their lives would take such a turn? I suspect not. There seems to be little, if any, indication they were. Just look at Moses. The man thought the Lord had made a mistake by choosing him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the holy land.
Which brings my thoughts to you and me. No matter what you do or where you are, how do you possibly know how God might specifically use you in his agenda? We don't want to find ourselves to be one of the mockers who say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 2 Peter 34.
"Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him..."
When the Lord first called Samuel, Samuel had to be schooled by the priest, Eli, to recognize it was in fact the Lord who was calling him.
I am reminded that those who have served the Lord in one capacity or another were normal people like you and me and had to be instructed in the things of the Lord, whether through another, as Eli with Samuel, or the Lord himself, as with Isaiah for instance. It took three years with the Lord himself and the arrival of the Holy Spirit to get the apostles up to speed.
Always exceptions it seems, though. I don't know what to think of John the Baptist. Here was a man who was functioning as a prophet even before he was born! "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby [John the Baptist in his mother's womb at the end of the second trimester] leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit... 'As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.'" Luke 1:41, 44. (As an aside, you don't have to go any further than this passage to recognize the practice of abortion is murder.)
Outside of John the Baptist and a few others, the folks that served the Lord in specific and unusual ways in the Scriptures did not arrive at their occupation by "earning it" or developing those "spiritual disciplines" who transformed themselves into what we might think as spiritual elites. No, they were just like you and me, tapped by God and prepared by him for service, either through the agency of others God used, or directly by God himself.
Did any of them know their lives would take such a turn? I suspect not. There seems to be little, if any, indication they were. Just look at Moses. The man thought the Lord had made a mistake by choosing him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the holy land.
Which brings my thoughts to you and me. No matter what you do or where you are, how do you possibly know how God might specifically use you in his agenda? We don't want to find ourselves to be one of the mockers who say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 2 Peter 34.
The things of God may become very active and impacting at any moment... and the Lord just may use any of us in important ways in the midst of carrying out his agenda.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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