THE LORD DID NOT ANSWER
The struggles which some have with their faith is coming to believe that God hears and answers their prayers. If we reach the conclusion that we serve a God who is distant to us and does not care about us, then the seeds for the destruction of faith are sown in our hearts. We cite recite passages like Hebrews 4:15 which teach that we have a High Priest who can be touched by the feelings of our infirmities. Believing such a passage to be true it should bring us often and with confidence to the throne of God. Sad to say many just lose confidence in what God has revealed about His actions.
There was a time when Saul, the first king of Israel, was facing the army of the Philistines. Samuel had died. Samuel was always the one to whom Saul would turn for instruction from the Lord. Saul had already removed those who had familiar spirits and wizards from the land (I Samuel 28:3). Saul was scared of the imposing force of the Philistine army. He needed help; he needed to hear from God. Saul asked the Lord for guidance about this upcoming battle. The Scriptures state that the Lord did not answer Saul by dreams, by the Urim, or by prophets.
Anyone of these three could have provided the answer that Saul sought if God was answering him. The truth is God was silent. That is not to argue that God was distant or so far removed that He did not care what happened to Saul. God was silent and that was what concerned Saul. He then inquired and found out about a woman who had a familiar spirit who lived in Endor. We pause to say, why did Saul remove the wizards and those with familiar spirits out of Israel? If the cause for removing them was valid, why now would he seek their power to aid him? Saul was a desperate man. He wanted answers, even if he had to go to wrong sources for the answers.
Saul wanted to speak to Samuel. It is not my purpose in this article to discuss the fine details but all indications are this woman was as surprised as Saul when Samuel, appeared from the realm of the dead. Saul related to Samuel that the Lord was not answering him, either by dreams or by prophets (I Samuel 28:15). He, therefore, asks Samuel, what shall I do? He cannot connect with God but he wanted help with this crises in his life. The sad message was that Saul and his sons would die in battle, which they did. How often in the journey of life do people want God to “tell them what to do”. If the “sun is shining” then God can be kept at a distant place in the heart. However, when the storms arise, man searches for God to find answers about what to do.
Today men want to hear from God. They search for answers in the sky, movement of the planets, events in life, anything that will “reveal” what God wants them to do. When we encounter such individuals, they scorn the idea of going to the revelation of God to man in written form. They call it legalism or deadness of the letter. They ignore the truths that God has revealed. Such things as the word of God’s grace is able to build us up and give us an inheritance (Acts 20:32). Why not trust what God has revealed? The Word of God is ABLE to build us up and give us an inheritance.
Must the Spirit of God enlighten us in order for us to comprehend the Word of God? Must the Spirit “do” something in order for us to realize the presence of God in our hearts? My fellowship is with both the Father and the Son. The condition of that fellowship is that I walk in the light of that which God has revealed (I John 1:3-7). If I must wait for the Spirit to enlighten me, what is the difference between that and the person wanting God to perform a miracle in front of them. People want to hear from God. God declares that He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (II Peter 1:3). Hence the question of life that come at different times and overwhelms the soul is about how does God speak to us. If God revealed Himself through His Word, then it should be clear how we hear the voice of the Lord. The Bible is not written to cover every case that arises in our journey of life. There is however, a principle of truth that will deal with everything we face in life. It is just a matter of searching the scripture to find that principle and the applying it.
To those who cry about a “dead letter”, they need to read that the Word of God is quick and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). The word “quick” means to bring to spiritual life. If God is not answering perhaps it may be that we are not listening to His Voice.