Day 128: Turning to God

Acts 28:16-31; 1 Samuel 6-7; Psalm 53

The fact that Paul uses those verses from Isaiah in this conversation are so awesome and so relevent to today.  How many people in America have heard the gospel of Jesus or are looking for something to fill their life?  They are stubborn or are looking in all the wrong places.  Part of these verses talk about their ears being stopped up and eyes are covered--what is hindering them?  My guess is that this is a reference to all the things that keep us from connecting with God and his message. Things like our friends' adivce, messages from tv and movies, a desire for money, the belief in living for oneself.  All of those and many more are what cover up a person's ability to listen to God's message and receive it.  But Paul kept preaching for two more years hoping that some would turn to Jesus.

 A few of things strike me as interesting in this story in 1 Samuel.  The Israelites are hanging out with the sacred chest and a whole bunch of men decide to look inside it and are killed.  The people respond with "Who can go near him and still live?" The God of the Old Testament I think was a little distant, maybe a little scary.  People had to atone for their sins through lots of sacrifices and worship practices.  There was a lot riding on what they could do right.  Today, though, we can go near to God.  That is the beauty of Jesus.  Jesus atoned for our sins so that we don't have to be afraid to draw close to The Lord because we can.  We are seen as holy in the Lord's sight, and therefore, we can be near him without fear.

The other thing that sticks out from these passages is that at one point the Israelites are so desperate and sad and they cry out to God.  Samuel tells them that if they really want to prove that they will go back to The Lord, then they need to destroy the idols in their lives and worship only him.  People try to serve God and other things in their lives and then get so frustrated when it does work.  That's because they don't have God as first in their life so that he can then work out all things for good!  If God doesn't have the first priority, the room to work, then people shouldn't expect much from him.  When our attention, focus, and worship is divided, God won't bless.

Finally, Samuel sets up an "Ebenezer" a "Help Monument" to remind the people of what God has done.  If you have had some amazing blessings in your life, find a way to record them, to represent them, because then when the troubles come, you can be reminded of God's promises.  If you are struggling with life right now, find something that reminds you of the great love of God.  That is what the monument for the Israelites was:  a reminder of God's fulfilled promises in their lives.