(1 Samuel 3:15-21) So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do the same to you, and more so, if you hide a single word from me of all the words that He spoke to you!” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “He is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.”
19 Now Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and He let none of his words fail. 20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Since Samuel didn't know the Lord until that point, I can certainly understand Samuel's reluctance to relay the "bad news" he was to pass along to Eli. But Eli knew God, and knew history quite well, so he saw the sense to insist on hearing God's word, even if it was going to be painful. And every single word - because even the little words are crucial in any message - so they are extra crucial when the message comes from God! Although Samuel felt fear when he had to deliver his first prophetic message, his confidence would have increased over time as he saw God fulfilling these prophecies.
We now have the Bible, which contains a perfect record of God's prophecies and how they have all been fulfilled... except for the ones which are still to happen in the end times. Having evidence of how God is faithful in carrying out His word, should give us confidence in Him.
It all works together. The better we know God and who He is, the more we will trust Him and His word. As we experience God working in our own lives and in the lives of those around us, we will clearly see and understand that who He is and what He says is truth. Who are we to change anything God has said in His word?! God will not honor that, but honor those who know and handle the scriptures accurately. God gave the word to Samuel to speak, and then God fulfilled it. God asks us to be bold and confident in sharing and living out the good news, so in this, God will give us His strength and guidance to do whatever He asks of us.
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