“…Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD…
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the LORD and with the people…Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the LORD by assisting Eli.”
1 Samuel 2:21, 26; 3:1
The priests we observed the last couple days had been anointed to serve a holy God, but instead they treated Him with arrogance and contempt. But that dark evil could not extinguish a spark of righteousness!
Five times in this narrative the author halts his dialogue on corruption to describe the good that was transpiring at the very same time. Meanwhile Samuel served, and meanwhile Samuel grew…both physically and in his relationships with God and others. The utter evil that surrounded Samuel could NOT change who he was. Samuel had been dedicated to God before he was ever born, and when he came to live in the Tabernacle, his mother promised, “…he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” (1:27)
Today our world is filled with evil far beyond what Samuel experienced. Meanwhile, where are the millions who still belong to the Lord? Are we willing to keep growing in relationship with God and serving Him? When the history of our generation is written, will the narratives of evil be interrupted with any meanwhile stories?
Samuel’s meanwhile relationship with God became a powerful force against the evil of that day. So, even though I feel incredible evil around me now, I can also make a powerful difference…
If meanwhile...I serve the Lord!
Comments