We spoke of the strength of Hannah and Abigail - how they both were bold women of God in their own ways and how they both remained faithful to God despite the tough circumstances they were in. We talked of the bond between David and Jonathan and of how the two continually spurred each other along so that they became closer than brothers. We discussed Saul's pursuit to kill David and of how crazy yet how wise it was for David to not murder Saul on two different occasions because God had put Saul in that position but only because that was what the people had wanted. We were reminded of how deeply Samuel was hurt when the people of Israel were in desperate want of a king because they weren't rejecting him, but even worse, rejecting God.
During one particular lecture, Spencer Furby spoke on 1 Samuel 3, so here it is in a nutshell:
Samuel was ministering to Eli and in those days the word of the Lord was rare. One night, Eli was asleep and Samuel was laying down close to where the ark of the covenant was. The Lord called Samuel three different times, but each time Samuel thought it was Eli calling him so he ran over to him each time. The third time, Eli told Samuel, "Go, lie down, and if He calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel did what he was told and went to lie down in his place, and when the Lord called, he did what he was told. But then the Lord told him some not so great news. He told Samuel that He would punish Eli's house forever and ever because his sons were blaspheming against God and Eli did not stop them. The next morning Samuel awoke, nervous and disappointed I'm sure and had to tell the entire vision to Eli. Instead of Eli being sorrowful or angry, he said, "It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him."
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Maybe, today, you're aching due to the loss of a loved one, and maybe all you want to do is talk to them, to be with them one last time, when that's not even possible. Maybe you're dreading the funeral, where everyone will see you sob or want to pay their respects when in all honesty you just want to be alone. And maybe you're not so sure how to move on after this or how to cope with the fact that you lost someone important to you. It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.
Maybe you just moved somewhere where you don't know anyone or where you're not familiar with the place at all. Maybe you feel really alone and really homesick to where you were once before. Maybe you feel unsure of the goodness of the future or maybe the future there isn't something you look forward to. It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.
Maybe you're in the midst of a divorce or your parents' divorce. Maybe you're so frustrated at the division of your family that it's all you think about, to the point where you can't sleep. Maybe you're scared of not seeing someone in your family again because of it or maybe you're scared of where you'll end up. Maybe it skews your image of what a family is supposed to be in the first place. It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.
Or maybe you just went through a breakup with the one you thought you were going to be with for the rest of your life. Maybe you can't go anywhere like your favorite restaurant or the park or even the local super market without thinking about a memory the two of you had there. Maybe when you hear that song on the radio that the two of you jammed out to makes your stomach drop before you switch the station, and maybe you can't imagine anyone being better for you than they were right now. It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.
And maybe - along the same lines and sometimes even worse - you had a fall out with a friend that cannot seem to be fixed. Maybe all you can think about is how you want to talk to them about it but you can't because for once the problem is between the two of you. Maybe all you have left are memories of the past few years with nothing but them in it. Maybe you're unsure of how you got here - how you wound up losing a friend that had been there all along until now. It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.
Maybe I am totally wrong. Maybe it is none of these things. But we all have something that has or will hurt or hinder us in some way, whether that's right now or in the past or in the near or far future. If you feel alone or small or not good enough due to circumstance, this is for you. If you feel like you'll never get over your bump in the road, once again, this is for you.
I know what you're probably thinking. Tarah, what in the world? None of the previous things you described are good in any way.
And you're right. None of those things are easy things to deal with. Whatever you're dealing with isn't easy. If you're going through a hardship right now, you're probably seeking clarity and asking questions and just when you think you may get an answer you probably have more questions after that.
But in Romans 8:28 I read that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.
All things work together for good. Not just the good things. The bad things too. And you know - sometimes that really stinks, but I mean isn't that super comforting, too? Our God is so mighty that He can take the absolute worst thing that you could imagine and work it for good for those who love Him. That's crazy, insane even, but in the middle of something difficult, I think it's easy to forget or fail to believe this.
But it really is the truest thing in that world - that God is always at work for you, making all things work for your good. He gives you the strength to press on, the peace to rest, the love to give to others, the grace that covers us so completely. So yes, you have many jobs to do, but ultimately your work is always, simply one thing: trust.
Trust that God loves you so much that He wants to hear from you every day. Trust that He works through every good and bad thing going on in your life and trust that He is enough on the days where you're searching for something that only His love can fill. And trust that He is not slow in keeping promises and trust that He does not do one thing without revealing His will to His servants. Trust that the crucifixion of Jesus was very personal - that He wants to know you so badly that He sent Jesus so that you may be guiltless.
I read something the other day from Ann Voskamp that summarizes my thoughts completely:
...there is a plan and there is a purpose
and there is a God in Heaven who didn't
just ink you onto the palm of His hands
but etched your name right
into Himself with nails and
He hasn't just got your number,
He's got your heart.
He sees you, hidden in Him,
and you aren't ever forgotten
because God can't forget those right in Him,
because God's writing your story and
He never leaves you alone in your story, and
His perfect love absorbs all your fear
and His perfect grace carries
all your burdens
and your story is a happily ever after
because Christ bought your happily ever
after so you always know how this story ends:
You're going to be okay.
All of these things that I just wrote are things that I struggle with and that I'm still learning to do. Trusting God through each and every thing is something that is hard for me, but I want my first instinct when something bad happens to be to run to God instead of away from Him. I want to seek what He is working out for me rather than being afraid.
So today, I pray that each of us have the attitude of Eli - that no matter what is thrown at us that we may say, "It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him." I pray that we mean it. I pray that we believe it.
"Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!"
- Psalm 37: 3-7
"Blessed is the man whose trust is in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord."
- Jeremiah 17:7
Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.
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