Day 3: Pass the torch
The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli… Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him (1 Samuel 3:1, 7).
Our Father in heaven, the psalmist celebrated Your sovereign rule with words of praise and deference, Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him (Psalm 115:3). Yet, incredibly, You are mindful of us (Psalm 8:4) and You choose to involve us in Your plans and purposes.
In the history of Your people we see You working in the ordinary details of human lives to accomplish Your divine design. Even before the people You had called to Yourself (2 Samuel 7:23-24) rebelled against Your plan and tried to establish their own governance, You had anticipated their folly and its consequences. And through pain, difficulty, flaws, missteps, and rebellion in the human realm You continued to work through them to direct Your purpose for all humanity.
You answered the desperate, anguished prayer of a woman, Hannah, for a child, and through her vow of thanks, You set up a succession plan for an aging priest—a plan that would provide a prophet for Your people—an anointer and advisor of kings, and a representative and messenger of God to the nation (1 Samuel 1:12-24).
Your divinely orchestrated circumstances allowed for the child Samuel to be trained, mentored, and equipped by Eli the priest even in the middle of his inability to restrain and rebuke his own sons. And when the time was right, Your plan allowed Eli to pass the priestly torch to Samuel by helping him to recognize and respond to the call of God (1 Samuel 3: 1-10).
Father, we often quote the Scripture assuring us that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Yet in the midst of messy human realities, we find it hard to maintain perspective. But You show us that in our toughest circumstances—even in the anguish of fertility struggles, the heartbreak of parental disappointment, or the harsh consequences of rebellion—Your purpose prevails.
So as we struggle through our own imperfect situations, help us to see the opportunities You give us to teach, to train to mentor. Show us where You are calling us to minister to the one who does not yet know the Lord—the one who, like Samuel may be struggling to recognize and respond. Ready us, through strong relationship and connection, to pass the torch of faith.
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