Preparation For Service

Preparation For Service

The Lord will not forsake His people. 1 Sam 12:22 (KJV)

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1 Samuel 12:16-24 (New International Version)

16 "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! 17 Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon the LORD to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king."
18 Then Samuel called upon the LORD, and that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel.
19 The people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king."
20 "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

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The New International Version uses the word ‘reject’ to translate the word that was
translated ‘forsake’ by the writers of the King James Version.

During a brief planning meeting, the director of a camp told the story of how he
was asked to take chapel time with the young campers. As he was waiting to begin,
a young lad ambled over to the gathering. While everyone else was busy with
nonsense, this lad seemed totally disconnected and lost in thoughts of his own.

The director felt a sudden urging from God, and when he began his chapel time
with the campers, he asked the boy to stand. The boy stood at the back with his lip
quivering. The director said, “I believe the Lord has a word for you. He says he will
never forsake you!” The boy immediately dissolved into a huge outburst of crying
and tears. The staff helped him away from the group and tried to console
him while the director concluded his 10 minute chapel address.

Following the chapel time, he went immediately to see the boy. The boy explained
that his dad had just ‘divorced’ him. He was now alone in the world, and the
director had just told him that God knew and that God would never forsake him.
The director moved in closer to the boy and told him a little about his own past.
When he was very young, his father had also left him. His father had turned him
over to the care of the Children’s Aid Society and he grew up in a vast assortment
of foster homes. He knew how the boy felt and he was there to say that God had
not forsaken him but had cared for him through all of his troubles. He had placed
his trust in God and, although there were a lot of difficult experiences,
God had remained true to him.

Maybe God is preparing you for a special mission to someone else that will one day
need your understanding and encouragement. God has a wonderful way of taking
what seems to be meant for our destruction and altering the outcome to bring
unexpected blessing and richness. Today, you may be called on to reach out to
someone who will feel the touch of God as you invest in his or her life by
sharing a particular experience of God’s faithfulness from your own life.

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Heavenly Father, I took a big step of faith some time back. I decided that I would
follow Jesus and let Him lead me through life. Well Lord, since that time it seems
that I have encountered some pretty tough stuff. I got wounded. Why did I face
such trouble in my life when I had this great desire to honour You?
Is there something that I should be learning in this? Amen.

- Noel Churchman

Noel was the Executive Director of Christian Horizons form 1976 to 2001. The devotionals we will be using are from a book he wrote in 2005 called “Walking with God”. Noel’s reflections are grounded in his experiences as an educator, and provider of supports for individuals with exceptional needs as well as his life as a dedicated follower of Christ.