Messages and Visions

Text
“Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very uncommon and visions were quite uncommon.” (1 Samuel 3:1, NLT).

Insight
Messages and visions from the Lord were uncommon. WHY? One reason could be that the Lord simply didn’t share them. If He doesn’t send them, we will not get them. But another reason messages and visions were might have been uncommon is because people simply didn’t discern them. So maybe God was speaking and He simply was not heard.
If God spoke and if anyone should have heard… it would have been Eli, the high priest. However, when God did speak (3:3 – 9) it took Eli three times before he realized God was talking. Not to be too hard on Eli, but could he and his son’s disrespect of God, dishonor of the office and contemptuous dealings have lead to a spiritual deftness and blindness? And could his example have spread in epidemic proportions throughout the land?
On the other hand, I find it interesting that Samuel was described as one who “served the Lord” (3:1). Perhaps young Samuel was yet unstained by the self-centered world-view of those around him. Maybe God had found a man who could hear and see. Did Samuel position himself to hear from God? And chapter 3 ends saying, “The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle” (3:21).
The Tabernacle is the dwelling place of God and Paul tells us we are the Tabernacle (temple) of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6). God speaks and will reveal Himself to you. So, let’s purify ourselves from worldly selfishness and embrace a lifestyle of service before God. Let’s posture ourselves to hear and see. Let us pray, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening” (3:10).

Prayer
Father, speak to me. Reveal Yourself to me. Purify me from selfish pollutants which make me deft and blind to You. Dwell in me by Your Spirit so I may see and hear. In Jesus name, AMEN.