“Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”
Have you ever been in a place where you knew things were going to get nasty? Like eating something bad and you know the outcome will not be pretty? How about leaving work and there is wreck on same road you take to get home? You know you are going to be sitting in your car for a while and there is nothing you can do about it.
Saul was in that kind of place in chapter 28. Samuel was dead and all of Israel mourned for him after his burial. Saul did a good thing and drove out all of the Mediums and Spiritists while he was king. You know them today as tarot card readers, palm readers, witch doctors, satanists, those types of people. Well, right after that. the Philistines assembled for war once again. Saul, seeing the Philistine army and being afraid, tried to consult the Lord but he got no answer. Desperate to hear something from the Lord, he told his servants to go and get him a medium, one who can inquire of the dead. Right, you cannot make this up.
Saul disguises himself with two other men and they find a medium. After begging her to inquire of dead she agrees and Saul asks for, you guessed it, Samuel! The medium screams when she sees Samuel rise from the ground and Saul begs of Samuel tell what to do about the Philistines. Samuel then tells him that Lord will not answer him and because of his sin with Amalekites. He also tells him that he and his family will perish in this battle, Israel will be defeated by the Philistines, and his kingdom will be given to David. I can almost see the sadness on Saul’s face after hearing this. Samuel goes away and Saul is fully aware of his fate now.
What a crazy story. Saul made a critical error in his kingship, he was in it for himself. When the odds were in his favor, he did not need the Lord or Samuel. But when he was afraid, he found himself going to the Lord for direction. This pattern is very common among the public. God is nowhere to be found when things are good but when life plays an ugly card, we fall back in fear and pray our one last desperate prayer to God for help.
I like to hear I love you from my wife every day. How sad would it be if she were to only say I love you and want to spend time with you after huge events in life like the death of loved one. Or when people use their friends like tools in the garage, they only pull them out when they need them. This pattern is known as use and abuse for a reason.
Christ came so that you can fellowship with him every day, in every situation. Revelation 3:20 says ” Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” God promises to be there at your door and knock, so let him into your life in every event, not just the ones that grip you with fear. You will soon find the peace that passes understanding over all of the events in life.
Prayer: Father open our minds up to your awesome presence. You are omnipresent and your Holy Spirit living inside of us promises to comfort us in all situations. Philippians 4:4-7 tells us to rejoice in the Lord always, be anxious for nothing, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, we are to present out request to the Lord. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ. Your Word also tells us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. That means we can find comfort in every situation, even the ones we have fear in. Today, we pray and acknowledge you in every situation, get out of the way, and cast all of our cares onto you Jesus. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Let It Go 
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