Alternative To The Usual Place

[Albert Finch]

Alternative to the Usual Place

1 Samuel 3:1 -- "In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions."

If Eli could not hear from God, the people would not receive messages from Him.

The only words that we receive that are of help to people are words from God. If we don't spend time listeningto Him, then we will receive not words by which we will bless and encourage His people.

1 Samuel 3:7 -- "Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him."

He'd never heard God speak, but he still enjoyed His presence.

We need to hear from God; we need to hear the word of the Lord.

We can only hear from God if we spend time with Him. We can only hear from Him if we have a relationship with Him. Our relationship to God is the most important thing in our lives, therefore we need to give it the utmost care.

Psalm 91:1 -- "He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High God, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

There is a secret place inside us where God dwells. When we abide with Him in the Spirit. In that secret place, we will experience the evidence of His presence with us.

We have the greatest calling to fulfill in the universe: to live out our destiny in Christ with God's power living and working through us.

The secret place is not a physical place like it was in Samuel's day. Our secret place is in our own hearts. We can go anywhere and still focus on Him in our spirit and be in the secret place of the Most High. We might be at work, yet we can enter into the presence of the Lord by simply going to the quiet place in our spirit and find Him there waiting for us. It is in this place where the Lord speaks and we listen. In the secret place is where we will find God's purpose (destiny) for our life.

Samuel had never heard God until he spent time in His presence. They developed a relationship with each other. Samuel became one with God; they became friends. As we develop friendship with God, then He can show us how to love others. As we are first filled with the power to truly love others by loving Him and by receiving His love for us we will come to realize our need to disciple other believers.

This only comes through our communion with Christ.

We need to hear the voice of the Lord! We need to hear His voice now more distinctly than ever before, because we need a personal revelation of our destiny in Christ.

Eli had gotten used to residing in his "usual place" in the house of God. We, too, can get too used to our relationship with God the way it is. But God wants us to come out away from our "usual place" and seek Him afresh and anew -- to turn from all else and seek only Him. He wants to show His love for us in a new way.

　

Affirmations

I resolve to get to know Him in a fresh way and experience new aspects of His character -- to experience new facets of His love.

As I love Him as I have never loved Him before my capacity to love others is enlarged.

As I abide in the secret place in silence I lift up my heart to Him in love and experience the communion of His presence.