God’s presence
by Ruth Olsen
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? (1 Samuel 4:3a)
Read 1 Samuel 4:1–11
In any confronting or troubling situation, it is wise to ask, ‘Lord, what do you want to teach me through this?’ Even when we have remembered to seek the Lord’s leading in our situations, other details may not be ready for the revealing yet, and so we need to wait. That can be a big test of our patience and our willingness to wait for the Lord’s timing in things. As it has been said, ‘The Lord may seem to be working slowly, but he is never late!’ His timing is right; he knows the bigger picture.
Today’s reading speaks of two battles between the Israelites and the Philistines. As the first battle spread, the Philistines killed about 4,000 Israelites on the battlefield. On hearing this, the elders of Israel asked (verse 3), ‘Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines?’ That was a good starting question. We can hear their shock and grief. We then hear their solution: to take the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh with them, so that it may save them from the hand of their enemies!
They knew that, at previous times in their history, there was a connection between God’s presence with his people and the ark of the Lord’s covenant. They mistakenly believed that having the symbol of his presence with them meant that his favour was automatically with them. It was welcomed into the camp with great shouting. Eli’s two sons were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
The Philistines had also heard fearful reports surrounding the Israelites. Yet they urged each other to be strong … and they defeated the Israelites. In this second battle, 30,000 Israelite foot soldiers were lost, the ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons were killed! Devastation! This did not come out of nowhere! See the link between today’s verses with 1 Samuel 2:27–36 and 1 Samuel 3:11–18.
I am so grateful that Jesus has taken my place, that there’s repentance and forgiveness available through him, and that he’s with us wherever we are!
Father, have mercy on us for Jesus’ sake. Teach us to seek your face, your heart, to rest in your presence. Amen.
Because of Ruth’s autoimmune disorder that attacked her kidneys, she and her husband, Steen, have been trained this year in using peritoneal dialysis at home at night. Ruth says this was a very steep learning curve! Other underlying health issues are now also being treated, giving a new lease of life that still needs to be paced. Praise God!
Are we listening?
by Ruth Olsen
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not too many visions (1 Samuel 3:1b).
Read 1 Samuel 3:1–21
A loving father loves talking with his children. Do you notice when your Heavenly Father is trying to get your attention? Do you hear him speaking to you through his word, through people or a song, in your circumstances? Are you expecting to hear from him? If not, why not?
Eli’s failure to recognise at once that the Lord had called Samuel may be an indication of his own unfamiliarity with the Lord.
But since then, God has spoken to us through his Son (Hebrews 1:1,2), and Father and Son have sent the Holy Spirit, the Counsellor, to teach us all things and to remind us of what Jesus has said (John 14:25,26).
The Spirit is given to all followers of Jesus, irrespective of sex, age and rank (Joel 2:28–32; Acts 2:17–21). He will enable us to prophesy, receive dreams and visions from God, and much more. But are we taking notice? Are we listening?
Yesterday, we saw the contrasting attitudes of Eli’s sons, who followed the ways of the world and did as they pleased. Whereas Samuel was submitted to those who gave him covering, and thereby was submitted to the Lord. And now, when Samuel listened to the Lord, he heard the Lord’s perspective on things. Samuel was understandably afraid to tell Eli what he had heard, but Eli wisely gave Samuel no option.
This chapter concludes with, ‘The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up … The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word’ (verses 19,21).
One person available to the Lord can make a big difference. Likewise with the prayers of a mother!
Are you available to the Lord for his purposes? For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
Father, here I am. I welcome your working in me and through me, for Jesus’ sake. I desire to honour him in all that I am and do. Amen.
Because of Ruth’s autoimmune disorder that attacked her kidneys, she and her husband, Steen, have been trained this year in using peritoneal dialysis at home at night. Ruth says this was a very steep learning curve! Other underlying health issues are now also being treated, giving a new lease of life that still needs to be paced. Praise God!
Contrasts
by Ruth Olsen
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favour with the Lord and with people (1 Samuel 2:26).
Read 1 Samuel 2:12–26
What a way to be remembered in the Bible: ‘Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord’ (verse 12). The following verses provide details of their arrogant, contemptuous behaviour.
It had become accepted practice that a three-pronged fork thrust into a pot of boiling meat would providentially determine a fair priest’s portion of the fellowship offering meat. This practice was already different to the original specific instructions the Lord had given to Moses (see Leviticus 7:31–36, Leviticus 10:14,15 and Deuteronomy 18:1–5).
The priest’s portion was also to be given voluntarily, not taken by force. The fat was to be the first part burned up before the Lord; however, Eli’s sons arrogantly violated those customs and the original requirements. What they were doing wasn’t just sinning against people but against the Lord.
To summarise, ‘they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt’ (verse 17). Their priority was self, demonstrating they were not suitable for the role of priests who represent the Lord.
Contrast this with the backstory of Hannah and Samuel in 1 Samuel 1–2:11. Hannah’s heart attitude of submission to the Lord carried life and blessing from the Lord to others beyond what she would ever know! The ways of the world can seem so right yet be so wrong.
Eli’s sons ignored their father’s words, probably thinking they knew better than he did; Samuel submitted to his mother’s desires, to Eli, and through them to the Lord. That may not have been easy!
Submission to authority requires humility and trust in God. We are urged to pray for all in authority that we may live peaceful and satisfying lives (1 Timothy 2:1–4). Submission to authority also requires wisdom and courage in knowing when and how to raise questions if something feels wrong.
Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth, show us where our attitudes are out of alignment with the Father’s word, ways and will. Give us the courage to repent quickly, so that we may honour Jesus in all that we are and do. Amen.
Because of Ruth’s autoimmune disorder that attacked her kidneys, she and her husband, Steen, have been trained this year in using peritoneal dialysis at home at night. Ruth says this was a very steep learning curve! Other underlying health issues are now also being treated, giving a new lease of life that still needs to be paced. Praise God!
Attitudes
by Ruth Olsen
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much (Luke 16:10a).
Read Luke 16:1–13
Jesus was teaching his disciples something deeper in this tricky story of a manager who was wasting his master’s wealth. Those were large quantities that the debtors owed the master. They would have been happy to have the debt halved. The manager had his own agenda for these debtors to owe him when his job finished. On hearing this, the master commended the manager for acting shrewdly.
Generally, the attitude of the world and of fallen human nature is: ‘What’s in it for me?’ Wheeling, dealing and manipulating happen in that pursuit. That’s the way of the world. In contrast, people of light seek to be honest, truthful and trustworthy, not manipulating others nor using dishonestly what has been placed in their care.
But do we wisely use the worldly wealth that God has placed in our care? After all, we are managers who will be asked to account for what we have done with what we have been given. By helping those in need, people will be blessed and can, in gratitude, pass the blessing on to others in the future. It’s like ‘paying it forward’, blessing someone so that they can also bless others. This sharing of worldly wealth carries something eternal, something of God’s character that blesses and uplifts.
Do we even think about using our worldly wealth for eternal purposes to bless others? No matter what we do, we cannot serve both God and money. Either we pursue God and his ways that bless others, or, in our blindness, our pursuit of money leaves us frazzled and empty.
God knows our hearts better than we do. It requires courage and trust to ask God to search our ‘heart attitudes’ regarding our use of worldly wealth he has placed in our care. His ways carry eternal life and blessing. Money cannot satisfy our deepest needs. Let’s be shrewd enough to seek the Lord’s ways of using what he gives us to bless others also.
Father, open our ears, eyes and hearts to ways you desire to bless others through what you have placed into our care. Thank you! Amen.
Because of Ruth’s autoimmune disorder that attacked her kidneys, she and her husband, Steen, have been trained this year in using peritoneal dialysis at home at night. Ruth says this was a very steep learning curve! Other underlying health issues are now also being treated, giving a new lease of life that still needs to be paced. Praise God!
What is praise?
by Peter Bean
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump (Psalm 113:7).
Read Psalm 113
No doubt, this psalm is a psalm of praise! The word ‘praise’ (the Lord) is used three times in the first verse – five times altogether. Most of the psalm is about how wonderful God is – the usual things you think of when you want to give praise.
But then there are verses 7 to 9. As the Lord looks at Earth, what does this generous, wonderful God do? Lifts the vulnerable. Goes out searching for those who are not doing so well. And places them among princes. High and exalted. A totally different place from where they were. Praise the Lord, indeed.
How do you praise the Lord? Do you sing praise songs or hymns? Do you tell God what a wonderful God he is? Bless the name of the Lord? All good and worthy things to do. But it seems there is more. The psalmist is very much in line with many of the prophets. Seek justice, help the oppressed (Isaiah 1), turn your courts into true halls of justice (Amos 5), act with love and justice (Hosea 12), and many more!
Lift the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump! How does that work out in your life? Or is the psalmist unrealistic and doesn’t understand your situation? Perhaps we need to examine ourselves and, in doing so, recognise we might even be the poor and needy – possibly not in a physical sense, but perhaps in a spiritual sense.
And then we can know that Jesus Christ indeed lifts us up to be princes and princesses in his kingdom. So, we can sing our praise songs. But perhaps we can give even more praise by looking around us – at our society – and, as we are able, lifting the poor and needy. I reckon the Lord would enjoy that sort of praise!
Thank you, gracious Lord, for lifting us up. Help us look for opportunities to uplift others and give you praise. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. Peter prays that as you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the psalms, he invites you to read them anew, applying them to your lives. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 91), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
by Peter Bean
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
May the Lord help you keep your promise … (1 Samuel 1:23b).
Read1 Samuel 1:21–2:11
Promises! Promises! Who really wants to make a promise? So many obstacles can appear when trying to keep it: ‘It’s not the right time’, ‘You misunderstood what I meant’ (notice the shifting of guilt in this statement), ‘Circumstances have changed’, ‘I wasn’t myself when I made that promise.’
Hannah could certainly have used the latter excuse. As we read yesterday, she was very discouraged and poured her heart out to the Lord. She was so distressed that Eli thought she was drunk. One can imagine her thinking, if not saying: ‘God, you will understand. You knew my distress; I was beside myself. Now I have a son, and I must give him up? Surely, God, you are more merciful than that!’
All understandable. All reasonable. Perhaps we have said or thought similar things ourselves. Yet, despite these (possible) thoughts, Hannah kept her promise. She realised that everything – life, possessions, children – is a gift from the Lord. And so, with the Lord’s help, she could release her son to be a servant of the Lord. And, in doing so, she sang a praise hymn to God (1 Samuel 2:1–11). Her truth-telling became a praise hymn!
The best promises are not those we make, but the ones that God has made, kept and continues to fulfil. What is your favourite promise from God? Perhaps you can list two, three or more. Obviously, promises about new life and shalom are wonderful. I like the verses in Isaiah about wolves and lambs living together, wastelands blossoming, eyes being opened and ears being unplugged (see Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 35).
All these have their fulfilment in Christ. ‘The one sitting on the throne said: “Look, I am making all things new!”’ (Revelation 21:5). If you make a promise, ask the Lord to help you keep it. And remember the promises God has made – and kept – through his Son, Jesus Christ.
Loving Creator, thank you for all the gifts you bless us with. At all times, help us to remember your promise of new life, won for us by Christ. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. Peter prays that as you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the psalms, he invites you to read them anew, applying them to your lives. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 91), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
Discouragement or praise hymns?
by Peter Bean
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15b).
Read 1 Samuel 1:1–20
It’s not popular to talk about our woes or to suggest we are discouraged or down in the dumps. Enter that into a conversation, and it is likely people will turn away. How sad!
When you read (and work with) the psalms, as I have been doing for more than three years, you learn that people were willing to take their gripes to their God. As American theologian Walter Brueggemann said, ‘Old Testament praise is not a practice of “praise hymns” that cover over the reality of life. Rather, there is a habit of truth-telling, to wonder where the loving mercy of God is.’ Again and again, the people ask, ‘Where are you, God?’
In these verses today, I can imagine Hannah speaking some truth-telling to the Lord. ‘Why have you not given me children? Where is your mercy, Lord? Have you forgotten me?’ She was so distressed that Eli, the priest, thought she had been drinking (verses 13 and 14).
But Hannah quickly made it clear that was not the case. Instead, she was pouring out her heart to the Lord. After their conversation, Eli wished her peace and that her request would be granted. She went away no longer sad (verse 18).
If you are discouraged, I want to encourage you to be brave. Take your concerns to the Lord. Take part in some truth-telling. God is big enough to take it. Pour out your heart; wait on the Lord. If you don’t know what to say, let your sighs be your prayer. Take comfort that the Spirit takes them to God (Romans 8:26–28). Or you might want to use a psalm; try Psalm 88, Psalm 86 or another one that works for you.
Let your thoughts or words of discouragement become praise hymns to the Lord.
Lord, when I am discouraged, help me come to you with words, thoughts and sighs. Let your Spirit plead for me. And then grant me peace as I wait for your mercy. Amen.
by Peter Bean
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong (Romans 16:19b).
Read Romans 16:17–27
Ah, wisdom! The most wonderful of gifts (see 1 Kings 3:10ff), yet so elusive.
Having greeted the various people involved in the church (see yesterday’s devotion), Paul gives final greetings and asks them to be wise. Is he expecting too much? Who among us would claim to be wise? As we age, we hopefully gain more wisdom, but would any of us actually claim to be wise?
I wonder if these readers thought similarly. Okay, Paul, we appreciate your prayers and greetings. Now, just let us get on with the job. Why add this burden of having to be wise?!
Except, it is not a burden. Read the phrases from Romans surrounding this request:
- ‘… obedient in the Lord’ (verse 19a)
- ‘The God of peace …’ (verse 20)
- ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you’ (verse 20)
- ‘… all glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ …’ (verse 27).
Perhaps wisdom is simply accepting Christ’s love for us: living in his grace and forgiveness and allowing his peace to permeate our lives. When we are surrounded by love, grace, forgiveness and peace, perhaps wisdom just flows. Not always, of course. We are human. But when it doesn’t, we are restored to a wise place. Living in God’s grace.
And so, a positive circle develops: grace, forgiveness, wisdom; grace, forgiveness, wisdom. Then, we are enabled to do the right things to stay innocent. And when we fail, we are restored to a place of righteousness, to a place of innocence.
Grace, forgiveness, wisdom. A good place to live.
God of wisdom, allow us to live in your grace and forgiveness, so we may be wise in all we do and say. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. Peter prays that as you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the psalms, he invites you to read them anew, applying them to your lives. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 91), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my coworkers in the ministry of Christ Jesus (Romans 16:3).
Read Romans 16:1–16
What a powerful chapter Romans 16 is. What, at first, might seem like a boring list of names actually details the workings of the early church across the Roman Empire. (Many of the towns referenced throughout the New Testament epistles can still be found on a map today, especially in what is now modern-day Türkiye.)
Some of these people had been expelled from Rome; others travelled to and from the area. All were involved in the early Christian community in one way or another. When you read the descriptions, you will read about deacons, coworkers, believers and the Lord’s people. You will notice women and men, married couples and single people. You will hear Greek names, Roman names, Jewish names and Gentile names. All working together in the ministry of Jesus Christ! Thank you, Lord.
Here is a challenge: How about you write your version of Romans 16? Give thanks for all those you know are involved, working together in the ministry of Jesus Christ. This might be people from your congregation. It may include people from the wider community who serve in various ways, even from other churches or service groups.
Make a list! But don’t just make a list. Describe what they do that nourishes, encourages, allows the organisation to operate, challenges others or shares the good news in so many ways. And then, share it with them (like Paul did). Or perhaps read it out during the announcements at church! And pray for each of these people, giving thanks, today or daily, until you have mentioned them all (or perhaps you could include it as part of the prayer time at church one Sunday).
What a powerful document that would be; what a powerful action for you to take. Giving thanks for all those involved in ministry together.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for my (our) coworkers in ministry, whatever form that takes. May they know they are appreciated. Bless their actions, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. Peter prays that as you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the psalms, he invites you to read them anew, applying them to your lives. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 91), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com