The verse of the day that appeared as I write today's blog speaks life into the story of Samuel, Eli , Eli's sons, and Israel in general. “who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, (2 Timothy 1:9 NIV) Or, as Eli told Samuel when Samuel related what God had told him during the night, "He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes." 1 Sam. 3:18 NIV
It's hard to see that it's the Lord's hand when the Israel loses thirty thousand men in battle against the Philistines and the Ark is taken from them. It's difficult to see God's hand in our lives as well. Those we love are taken away from us too soon, we are moved to places we don't want to go, we lose jobs and fortunes and yet, it is God's hand that is at work in our lives. Eventually, we discover that it's better to let him work in our lives, to send us where he would have us go for his own purpose, rather than appropriate his power for a self-serving reason. The Philistines found that out as they passed the Ark from place to place like a hot potato. Their god Dagon was no match for the Ark of the one true God and the only gift God gave them for having the Ark in their midst was a rash of tumors. If we think we can capture the essence of God and use it for our own means, we will be gravely disappointed. Since the beginning of time, the stories of all the lives that have been written have been about his own purpose and grace. The good and bad, it is all his. He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.
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