Lynn Jones: Words that hit the mark
By Lynn Jones
In this country, you are guaranteed free speech, but that is as far as the Constitution goes. There is no guarantee that anyone will listen to your speech. Considering the kind of speech that is used in our country, that is just as well. A lot of it shouldn’t be listened to.
It was certainly different with a man named Samuel. When he was just a boy, Samuel was called by the Lord to be His spokesman to Israel. The Bible says, “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Sam. 3:19). The Lord used Samuel’s words to hit the mark with His people then, and He still uses them to speak to us today.
After the Lord had given the Israelites a great victory over the Philistines, Samuel thanked God for it. He set up a stone in the land and named it Ebenezer, which meant, “Thus far has the Lord helped us” (1 Sam. 7:12).
Words of gratitude are some of the most important words that we can speak. Our lives are filled with blessings, and we often do not pause and thank God for them. I want to encourage you to keep a Gratitude Journal. Every day write some of the blessings of God upon your life and thank Him for them.
Later, when Samuel told the people that the days were approaching when he would give up his position of leadership, the people protested. Samuel reassured them by saying, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you” (1 Sam. 12:23). What a powerful word about our need to pray for people. One of the ways we often sin is by failing to pray for others.
When Saul began serving as king of Israel, the Lord promised him victory over the Amalekites, but he was to bring no spoils of his victory back to Israel. When Samuel met Saul upon his return from battle, he discovered that Saul had brought home with him a lot of livestock. When Samuel confronted him about this, Saul did some fast thinking and said that he had brought the animals to sacrifice to God. Samuel responded, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings sand sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22).
Samuel said that worship is pleasing to God, but something else is even more pleasing to Him. It is obedience to Him.
God can use words in wonderful ways.. These words spoken by Samuel centuries ago did not fall to the ground. They found their mark and continue to remind us of our need for gratitude, prayer, and obedience.
Lynn Jones is a retired pastor who lives in Oxford. He does supply preaching for churches in his area and often serves as an interim pastor. Jones is also an author, has written two books and writes a weekly newspaper column. He may be contacted at: kljones45@yahoo.com.
