Oops!

So, I don’t know if you noticed, but I didn’t post an article last week. The time just got away from me and on Friday I realized I hadn’t done it. So, even though this week is equally as busy, I’m going to write something. Exactly what I do not know. We will see what develops.

I’ve begun a study in the books of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel with my Bible study partner. We have covered chapters 1-4. One of the first things that stood out to me was a comment in the Reformation Study Bible on 1 Samuel 3:19. First, the verse says, “Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail.” The overall perspective of the books of Samuel leads us to understand that it is God’s presence with someone that makes the difference between success and failure.

The phrase “the Lord was with him” is used in several places throughout Scripture. Sometimes it’s used to say that God was with someone and the results were success. In other places, it includes the word, “not,” as in “the Lord was not with him.” The results were then failure. There are examples galore of men that were with the Lord and this phrase is applied to them. Many of the men are big names in the Bible and in history, and it starts right at the beginning with Abraham (Genesis 21:22). Other people it is said of include Jacob (Genesis 28:15), Joseph (Genesis 39:2), and David (1 Samuel 16:18; 18:12, 14, 28).

If we want success in our endeavors, we also must have the Lord with us. We know we have the Lord with us when we are seeking to do His revealed will. We find that revealed will in the Bible. I want it to be said of me, “the Lord was with her,” when my life is over. So as God reveals my thoughts and behaviors and how they agree with Scripture or not, I must act accordingly. However, the most important part in this process is having faith in Jesus Christ.