Operating in the Dark

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NKJV)

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The older I get the more uncomfortable I am driving at night. The oncoming lights blind me and it’s harder to find landmarks in unfamiliar territory. Can you imagine a world without night? Part of me thinks it would be wonderful, but another part of me realizes I would miss the beauty of the moon and the stars. Truly the heavens declare the glory of God!

We tend to associate darkness with evil or despondency. How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m in a dark place?” The reality is, life is a test. The Apostle Paul compares it to a race in 2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” The storms of life fall on the righteousness as well as the wicked.

I always say, “life is the womb of eternity.” Perhaps in this case, it is the training camp. If we prove ourselves faithful we will rule and reign with Christ forever. Faith Triumphs in Trouble

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” – Romans 5:1-5 (NKJV)

Every person who has ever “overcome” something had to learn to operate in the dark. They had to make a decision to push past their fear and press on. No one escapes without perseverance.

Most of the time the darkness takes us by surprise. As Pastor Ty said, ” Someone can flip the switch and your deepest fears emerge. In that moment you have to decide … am I going to work in the dark or am I going to succumb to the fear?”

David understood this when he wrote Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (NKJV) … Death is the ultimate fear. I find it interesting that David talked about the comfort of the Lord’s presence. Have you ever noticed that scary situations seen a little less frightening when you’re not alone? Beloved … WE are never alone!

If you need to know how to navigate (operate) in the dark ask God to shed light (wisdom) on your situation. You will come to learn that God is your healer, your strength, your helper and your joy in the midst of the darkest trials.

Prayer: Lord, I am thankful for the truth in Your Word that assures me, no matter how hard the battle or how deep the despair, I am never alone. You are here, right beside me. I echo Paul’s Words, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Help me to see fear for what it is – a lack of faith. Help me to remain faithful in the midst of the storms. Remind me, I am more than a conqueror in Christ! Thank You Lord for Your faithfulness. When I am weak, I know You are strong.

“… that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”And he (Eli) said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down. Then the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 1 Samuel 3:4-6 NKJV

We continue of study of Samuel Chaper 3 today. As the personal servant of Eli, Samuel would have been sleeping within hearing range in case Eli needed him during the night. When the Lord called Samuel he thought it was Eli and he “ran to him” and answered, “here I am”.

There are three interesting revelations in this short passage.

1. We can confuse the voice of God with the voice of others. I would say this is especially true of those who have authority over us. What people “speak” into our lives often becomes a false identity within us. For example: if you had someone who abused or belittled you, the inner voice of God can be confused with the harsh voice of authority that made you feel less than loved. It may be difficult for you to accept God’s unconditional love, if you have been used to feeling unworthy of love. How do you overcome this? You find scriptures that speak of God’s love, design and purpose for His children and begin to recite these passages when the voice of deceit whispers otherwise in your mind’s ear. The Word of God is a powerful weapon, capable of dividing truth from lies, capable of transforming us from the inside out, capable of teaching us the true “voice” of God.

2. Respond when God speaks. As soon as Samuel heard God’s voice he responded, “here I am”. When God speaks it requires action on our part. Samuel ran to Eli when God called. He didn’t linger and he showed no sense of agitation for being disturbed. When God speaks, run to Him with your full attention. Be willing to listen and obey. A. Sometimes He just wants to spend some quality Father time with you. We miss such an opportunity to minister to the heart of God if our prayer life only consists of a list of requests. Crawl up in His lap and lavish Him with love. B. Sometimes He is calling you to intercede for others. God has called us to love others as we love ourselves. Pray for those who need healing-physical, emotion or spiritual. Pray for those with financial needs. Pray for the broken-hearted, the poor, the lost. Our prayers can move Heaven and Earth! We see many times in the Old Testament when God was ready to bring judgment, but someone prayed and asked for His mercy. It’s easy to think, God’s going to do what God wants to do, so why pray? But He is often waiting for someone willing to stand in the gap. Be that person who says, “Here I am Lord.” C. Sometimes He wants to reveal something to You. If Samuel would have ignored God’s voice that evening, turned over in bed and went back to sleep, he would have missed his destiny. We can’t afford to dismiss God. He’s not silent. We just haven’t learned how to listen. He longs to give you direction. He created you for a specific purpose and your life will only be complete when you discover and pursue His will for your life.

3. He did not call Eli. Eli was the priest, yet God skipped over him to speak to a servant. Why? Commentary on this verse suggests it was because Eli was more interested in comfort than serving God. It also suggests there was corruption in the Temple and as the priest it was his responsibility to correct this. Whatever the reason, God chose Samuel over Eli. Don’t ever think you are not qualified to be used by God. There is a saying you may have heard that is appropriate for this time: “God doesn’t choose the qualified, He qualifies the chosen.” He is looking for the “willing heart”.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for choosing me to be Your child. Thank You for providing a way of connection to God through the cross. Help me Father to be able to distinguish Your voice from the many voices that compete for my attention. Help me to LISTEN and respond when You call. “Here I am” – speak Lord, I’m listening.

“Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle[a]of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down …” – 1 Samuel 3:1-3 NKJV

Over the next few days we will be looking at 1 Samuel, chapter 3. Samuel’s mother had been childless, and his birth was an answer to her prayer. After he was weaned she dedicated him for service in the Lord’s house. Samuel was a personal servant to Eli, the priest. In return Eli mentored him in the ways of the Lord.

Prior to Jesus’ death and resurrection God spoke to the people through the prophets. Unfortunately, during this time the voice of the Lord was rare. There were no prophets to declare the vision of the Lord to the people.

Also, prior to Jesus’ death and resurrection the Spirit of God resided in “places” rather than people. The ARK in the tabernacle represented the presence of God.

How exciting to know that God now resides within us! We no longer have to depend on someone else to speak on God’s behalf … He longs to speak directly to each of us.

If it is rare that you hear or recognize the voice of God speaking to you, it is time to do some soul searching to determine what is causing the disconnect.

Pastor Blake Bennett with TheCity.church offers the following example: If we are trying to have a conversation on our cell phone but we have distanced ourself from the cell towers, the conversation becomes disrupted. We have to “stay in range” to have good reception.

The same is true in hearing God’s voice. If we have distanced ourselves from Him through neglect of prayer we cannot hear as clearly. Several years ago the Lord told me, “When someone you know calls you on the phone, they don’t have to identify themselves. You recognize their voice.” If we want to recognize God’s voice we have to spend time with Him.

How will you hear the voice of God if you don’t pray? Prayer is meant to be a two-way conversation. We can’t do all the talking. We have to learn to be still/quiet and listen as well. We can only quiet our minds to hear the voice of God by pushing aside the distractions.

The technological advances over the last one hundred years have many benefits, but they also contribute to endless distractions.

One of the benefits of adding Fasting to your prayers is that it can be used as an opportunity to set aside those distractions. While we typically think of Fasting in relation to food … it is much more than just not eating. It is a time to separate yourself from the “things” that separate you (or steal your time) from God. It’s a time to take an honest look at the idols we have set up in our lives.

My encouragement to you is not to be legalistic, but turn off the noise over the next 21 days and spend as much time as possible alone with God. It will change your relationship with Him … and in turn change your life. We can do anything for 21 days, right? The benefits far outweigh the cost.

Prayer:
Father, thank You that as believers we no longer have to depend on the prophets to hear Your voice. Thank You for desiring a relationship with us. Help me Lord to quiet the distractions in my life that would drown out the sound of Your voice. Help me Lord to pray effectively, and to listen for Your direction.
Speak Lord, I’m listening.