Now a day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel in his ear,
Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be leader over My people Israel; 1 Samuel 9:15-16a AMP So, look at that. The LORD told Samuel about Saul’s arrival the day before. Now that is what I call insider information. Father, Today, I humbly ask, as we seek You, in prayer, in the Word, in worship, let us find direction, and purpose, and all that we need to walk out our journey. That is what we desire. Bless us with the whispers of insider information. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. Kish said to Saul, Take a servant with you and go, look for the donkeys.
And they passed through the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shalishah, but did not find them. Then they went through the land of Shaalim and the land of Benjamin, but did not find them. And when they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, Come, let us return, lest my father stop worrying about the donkeys and become concerned about us. The servant said to him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, a man held in honor; all that he says surely comes true. Now let us go there. Perhaps he can show us where we should go. Then Saul said to his servant, But if we go, what shall we bring the man? The bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no gift for the man of God. What have we? The servant replied, I have here a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God to tell us our way — 1 Samuel 9:3-8 AMPC Ever think about the servant? The guy who Saul picked because his Dad told him to take a servant with him to go and find the lost donkeys. When Saul was ready to throw in the towel, and go back home without completing the mission, the servant was not. The servant thought about who he might have known, or knew of, that could help Saul, and ultimately Saul’s Dad (his boss) get back what they lost. Think on this. This guy was a servant. He could have kept quiet and went back home with Saul but he didn’t. Honestly, he didn’t have any skin in the game, but he was willing to share what he knew with someone in authority to help them achieve their mission. The ‘donkey finding mission’. And what about this. The servant came prepared for the unexpected. Not finding the donkeys. The servant came prepared to seek help to fulfill the mission. Prepared to do whatever it takes to fulfill the mission. Oh Father, Help me to be like the Benjamite servant. A friend indeed. Determined. Prepared. Focused. Selfless. Ready to use what I have to help others. No matter their rank or file. Oh, and ready to seek You for help in time of need. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz In First Samuel Chapter Eight, the Israelites wanted a king so the LORD laid out in detail just what this would mean for the Israelites. God began to define the Kingdom of Man.
Man’s way is to take and make you slaves. Take care of his stuff, plow his ground, reap his harvest, make this and make that for him, and he will take your sons and daughters and then you will not have anyone to take care of your stuff but you. Take the best of your fields and vineyards and groves and give them to others. Take a tenth of your grain and vintage and give it to others. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys will be for his own use. And then you will cry out for relief. And you know what the KING will say. How’s that working out for you? Just kidding! The KING will not hear you. Samuel even gave them a history lesson on the greatness of the LORD, their KING, and how He delivered, provided, and sustained them. And the people still refused to change their minds and wanted a king because they wanted what the other nations had. God basically told them a king is what they want then a king is what they will get. And God selected a king. Oh, just look at the mercies of God towards His people. God gave them ample opportunity to change their minds. God even detailed out the kingdom of man for His people. In the end, He did not go against their will. He gave them what they wanted. So much to ponder. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz Samuel began to age as most of us do. Samuel had sons so when he got old he appointed his sons as Judges for Israel. 1 Samuel Chapter 8. His sons names were Joel and Abijah. You won’t even believe this! His sons didn’t walk in Samuel’s ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
Imagine what Samuel is thinking. “Good grief you two! Did you not believe me or even hear me when I told you the stories of Hophni and Phinehas and their Dad Eli who I succeeded? Hello people! Remember. They all died as a result of their disregard for God.” Imagine the inner turmoil for Samuel. I bet it didn’t help when the elders gathered and came to Samuel with their solution to the dilemma either. I know it looked like they needed a plan. It looked like this problem of theirs (the Israelites) required a solution. Sammy was getting old. Samuel’s sons were no good. It didn’t look like there was any other way. The Israelites looked around and saw how others were doing it. They saw how others were carrying on with a king. It must have looked good to them. I guess they were afraid of the future with no known leader. But they forgot Heaven rules! God is their KING. HE had brought them this far without their input. HE had provided a leader when it looked as if there was no one. They never asked for Samuel. If they thought about it Samuel was not the “earth” plan. Samuel was not in the line of Eli, hence Aaron. God raised up someone HE knew could judge HIS people. God grew Samuel and developed a relationship with him and provided direction and leadership and all that they needed. Every single time. God was not dependent on the Israelites. They were dependent on HIM. Selah (pause and calmly think on that). Let’s pray. Father, Help me. Oh, how I can so relate. So many times I develop plans because I see a need for a solution. And If I am honest I don’t consult YOU. Help me to remember Heaven rules. Every single time. In every single thing. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz Father,
Thank You for yet another year to glorify You. You know our dreams and visions for the future. You know our hearts. Help us. Direct us. Lead us, O God. To walk by faith. Build by faith. Do by faith. Live by faith. Believing You will send all that is needed to progress us forward in our purpose as only You can do. In Jesus Name, Amen. Thank you all for supporting and encouraging me. I am so grateful for you! Happy New Year 2020! Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz Have faith in God [constantly]. Mark 11:22b |
Hey There! I'm LizFounder of Ezra728 with a purpose of creating inspiring messages to strengthen and encourage primarily us gals across the globe. Guys, don't fret. You are definitely welcome, too. Archives
March 2021
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