1 Samuel – Chapter 28

1 Samuel 28 Daily DEVO And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. 1 Samuel 28:6 – First off, what a depressing chapter. How far has Saul gotten that he claims to still follow God yet leans on mediums and evil to find his way. For Saul though he was in a tight spot. He needed direction now and heard nothing from God. Maybe you’ve been at that same place to where you’re seeking direction and none is seemingly given. Here’s the thing, it’s hard to see God or hear His voice in your time of need when you haven’t been walking with him all along. It’s like calling someone to help you when you’re stuck on the side of the road. It’s much easier to remember a number that you’ve called daily than one you haven’t dialed in over a year. My encouragement to you is to begin calling on God daily so when the break down happens you know where to call. What if though right now you’re car is stuck and you haven’t been calling on God daily but you still need His direction? I would say it’s never too late to begin a daily calling on Him. Start with a humble praying of asking for forgiveness for the lack of investment you’ve given to this relationship and begin today following His will of loving Him and loving people. While that might not be the answer you were looking for that’s the answer you need. Because if God is truly then one who has your answers, then you need to begin doing everything you can to draw closer to Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 428

So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” 1 Samuel 28:8 – It can be difficult sometimes to know whether a path we walk down is the right one or one sin is leading us on. One way to tell is by how you approach the path. Here Saul is going down a path, but he disguises himself and goes at night. He doesn’t wants anyone to see what he’s doing. If that’s our mindset going into a path, likely it’s not something God would be wanting us to do. Think if the path you’re about to walk down would be one you’d be embarrassed to be seen on by a brother or sister in Christ or you would be ashamed if you were tagged on Facebook for being there because everyone would see, then likely it’s a path you shouldn’t go down. What parts of your life then are ones you don’t want people to see you on? What parts do you cover your true self so no one will recognize you on? Ask yourself then if these are paths that you honor God on or are ones that lead you further from communion with Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1653

Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” 1 Samuel 28:15 – We have a very unique chapter here where Saul consults a medium to bring Samuel up from the dead to speak with him. While there are many opinions on this chapter, mine is that God allowed the real Samuel to actually return and meet with Saul to proclaim His word one final time to the rebellious king. Yet we see in the above verse why Saul went to this extreme, it was because God wasn’t answering him. Why did the Lord not speak to Saul when he sought the Lord? Think of it this way, if I were to tell you that I wanted you to go to bed 20 times, but all 20 times you rejected me. Yet after all that you asked me, “where do you want me to go,” and I don’t reply, is my silence any surprise? I’ve already made the answer clear; you just didn’t listen. God had made the future clear to Saul, yet Saul rejected it over and over. So when Saul sought the Lord for direction, the Lord was silent. Maybe for us we are seeking an answer from the Lord, and the reason we aren’t getting any word now is because the Lord has already made it clear what we should do and we haven’t listened yet. If you are in that place, begin doing the things you know for sure God is calling you to do…love others, forgive, share the gospel, etc. If we aren’t faithful with the things He has already told us to do, likely we’ll experience silence to our requests. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2905