In Those Days

"...In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions." 1 Samuel 3:1

I had a football coach once who told us that we had to worry when he stopped yelling and making us run laps, because at that point he had given up on us. As kids we all hated to be reprimanded or instructed by our parents because "we knew better than they did." But it was even worse when we had angered them so much that they told us to go to our room while they ignored us for several hours. Those hours seemed like days when our loved ones would not give us any attention.

As I reflected on this passage of scripture today in my quiet time, I thought how awful it must have been when the Lord remained silent. When Moses and Joshua lead the Jews from Egypt and into the promised land the Lord frequently appeared and spoke to his people. But now, after centuries of rule under the judges, God's word had become rare even to the Levites (the elected priests).

The people and even Eli, the religious leader of the time, had grown distant from God. They refused to listen to Him, choosing to follow their own way, increasing distance between themselves and the Lord. As this distance grew, God's voice became more and more faint, until even the prophets stopped hearing from Him.

This lesson is as appropriate today as it was in Samuel's time. If we as believers do not take the time to pray, worship and study God's on a daily basis, he too will begin to leave us alone. He will not abandon us but will wait silently until we are ready to give him our attention. The bible tells us to "be still and know that I am God." If we are to hear him we must be attentive. We must rid ourselves of the distractions of this world and focus on him with all of our heart, mind and body. We cannot have a part-time relationship with God and expect to hear what he has to say.

My Prayer: Father, thank you for the truth in your word that says, "draw near to God and he will draw near to you," Thank you Father for never moving and for always responding when we come to you with our whole hearts. Thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit to fill us and allow us to hear from you when we truly take the time to listen. Help us Lord to remove the obstacles that keep us apart from you and open all of ourselves to you so that we can hear your still small voice. Forgive us for being distracted and wasting so much of our earthly lives not hearing what you are saying. Father, let us not spend another moment missing your word. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!