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Speak Lord, Your Servant Is Listening!
Day 128
1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverb 14:30Speak Lord, Your Servant Is Listening!
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” -John 5:24
The emphasis in the readings today is on hearing the Word of the Lord. The text tells us that the young Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and so he did not recognize God’s voice when He called him. The priest Eli served as an evangelist to young Samuel to explain that the calling he was receiving was not from man but from God. Samuel was so eager to be attentive to his master Eli. “Here am I!” Yet it was the voice of God that required his attention. Eli rightly teaches the young prophet to pray: “Speak LORD, your servant is listening.”
This is a simple prayer that any of us can learn to pray: “Speak LORD, your servant is listening.” Often our prayers come with many words; however, it is in the silence that God calls us by name. Are we aware of His communication? Do we know the LORD? Do we recognize when He calls us personally? Do we make time to listen?
Notice how Eli teaches Samuel to listen to the LORD in the posture of a humble servant. One of the reasons that the Jewish leadership in the Gospel passage from John struggled with truly giving Jesus their focused attention is arrogance and skepticism. In refusing to listen to Jesus, they sadly refused the salvation and the life that was being offered to them in Him. True hearing comes from a posture of humble service toward the LORD. “Speak LORD, your servant is listening.”
Our call is to hear His words and believe His words. In hearing and believing, God grants eternal life. The voice of God is calling to us in many ways. Are we listening for His voice? He speaks His word through the prophets, through the Scriptures, and in the last days through His Son, Jesus. He speaks to us today through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. Pray humbly and simply, “Speak LORD, your servant is listening.”
The Rev. Charlie Holt
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None of His Words Fall to the Ground
Day 127
1 Samuel 1:1‐2:21; John 5:1‐23; Psalm 105:37‐45; Proverbs 14:28‐29None of His Words Fall to the Ground
Did you ever realize how much drama there was in 1 Samuel on either side of the calling of Samuel? The drama that Eli’s sons cause in the temple and how wicked they are, and then the defeat not once but twice of Israel at the hands of the Philistines, and the capture of the ark of the covenant. Samuel is called in the midst of war and ruin for Israel. Eli keels over dead at the news of the capture, his sons are dead, and his daughter-in-law dies in childbirth bearing Ichabod. But there is one amazing verse in this chaos: “The Lord let none of his words fall to the ground.”
The Lord’s words, Samuel’s words, they are one and the same. And Jesus tells us to pay attention to the Word of God that comes from Him, the Son of God, the Son of Man. Hearing the Word makes the difference between life and death. Jesus says, “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf” (John 5:39).
If you have reached this almost halfway mark in your year of reading the Bible and your energy is flagging, press on! You are finding eternal life in the study of these words, this Word. “Without people, the prince is ruined,” says Proverbs 14:28. Without readers, the Word is hidden under a bushel.
Your steadfast faithful reading gives life and light to the world and testifies that Jesus truly is our Savior.
The Rev. Alison P. Harrity
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From Fateful to Faithful
Day 126
Ruth 2:1-4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 14:26-27From Fateful to Faithful
In the Old Testament reading, Naomi has returned to Bethlehem from Moab for the barley harvest. Although the famine in Israel has ended, the fortunes of Naomi have not improved. Her sons have died without children. Only Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, has returned with her. The story invites us to share her despair as Naomi questions God’s providence. “Call me Mara,” she says, “for God has dealt bitterly with me.” (Mara means bitter.)
The stage is set for God to act in faithfulness.
In one of the story’s many ironies, God’s faithfulness is first revealed in Ruth, the foreigner. The delicious phrase “as it happened” introduces the moment that Ruth walks on to the field of Boaz, the one person in all of Israel who could help her. The audience of this story knows that what will now unfold is the timeless story of God’s faithful providence for the faithful. Like many of the best stories, the story of Ruth is better the second time through. At the end of this story, we learn that the child of Ruth and Boaz would grow up to be the grandfather of none other than David, the greatest of all the kings of Israel. Once this is known, all the parts of the story reveal not only God’s providence for Ruth and Naomi, but God’s faithfulness to Israel.
Rarely do we understand the significance of the events of our lives. Sometimes it seems like God has abandoned us. But be assured that God is at work. Don’t lose heart. The field of Boaz is underfoot.
David Somers
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Speak Lord, Your Servant Is Listening!
Day 128 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverb 14:30 Speak Lord, Your Servant Is Listening! “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” -John 5:24 The emphasis in the…
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None of His Words Fall to the Ground
Day 127 1 Samuel 1:1‐2:21; John 5:1‐23; Psalm 105:37‐45; Proverbs 14:28‐29 None of His Words Fall to the Ground Did you ever realize how much drama there was in 1 Samuel on either side of the calling of Samuel? The drama that Eli’s sons cause in the temple and how wicked they are, and then…
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From Fateful to Faithful
Day 126 Ruth 2:1-4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 14:26-27 From Fateful to Faithful In the Old Testament reading, Naomi has returned to Bethlehem from Moab for the barley harvest. Although the famine in Israel has ended, the fortunes of Naomi have not improved. Her sons have died without children. Only Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law,…
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Hearing Is Believing
Day 125 Judges 21:1‐25; Ruth 1:1‐22; John 4:4‐42; Psalm 105:1‐15; Proverbs 14:25 Hearing Is Believing Have you ever had to get your hearing checked to see if you were hearing clearly or if you needed a hearing aid? Sometimes we need a spiritual hearing aid to help our hearing and believing. Do you remember the…
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He Must Increase, I Must Decrease
Day 124 Judges 19:1-20:48; John 3:22-4:3; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 14:22-24 He Must Increase, I Must Decrease The disciples of John the Baptist were very upset because people were going to Jesus to be baptized. They did not like the fact that their teacher was taking a “back seat” to the “new man on the block.”…
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No King, No Direction!
Day 123 Judges 17:1‐18:31; John 3:1‐21; Psalm 104:1‐23; Proverbs 14:20‐21 No King, No Direction! At the very end of Judges, we have two stories in the days when there was no king in Israel. During this period of moral lawlessness, people did as they saw fit: A young man steals silver from his mother. He…