“Clean-up! Hot Mess on Aisle 6!”

So, I’m revisiting 1 Samuel because I just can’t get enough of the story of Samuel from beginning to end. Today, I am reading 1 Samuel chapters 3 and 4 and couldn’t even get all the way through chapter 4 before the revelation hit me.

1 Samuel 3:11-14

“And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. All that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family– from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about his sons made themselves comtemptible, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘the guild of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'”

1 Samuel 4:1-10

“Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, ‘Why did the Lord bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.’ So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook…So the Philistines fought and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirsty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”

So, what is apparent to me from this scripture is two things: 1)Our habit of inviting God AFTER we’ve made a mess and 2)The Job 42:2 rule- God’s plans cannot be thwarted. I’m so overwhelmed by this passage because I see me. The people of Israel have gone into battle against the Philistines without even TRYING to seek God.  The people weren’t interested in consulting God about going to battle against the Philistines. So here we find that they’ve gone into battle either on a whim or because they let outside circumstances (if the Philistines initiated battle) force them into action rather than letting God commission them into action. So, when the Israelites battled the Philistines they lost 4,000 soldiers! THEN the elders of Israel BLAMED God before deciding they need to bring Him into the equation. So, after God has been blamed for letting the people lose, THEN the elders send to have the ark of the covenant, the representation of God’s presence, brought to their battle encampment. In short, after they’ve gotten themselves into hot water then they invite God in to rectify it.

What’s so difficult about this passage is that we’ve probably all been there. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can speak transparently for myself and recall a time when I was in a situation that I hadn’t consulted God about AT ALL. I let my emotions dictate to me how I would act and react and I followed their leading to a tee! Once I was in deep and drowning in the ocean of my own bad decisions then I tried to access God’s presence and invite Him to bless my mess! In fact, I had convinced myself that God had spoken life into that dead situation, when what He was really calling me to do was to let that dead weight go. So, here I was like the people of Israel, at one point I blamed God and made Him the bad guy and then I convinced myself that He was going to bless this unsanctioned mess! And while it stings to think just how far gone I was the best part is what we find in chapter 4, verses 10 and 11.

These verses seem like a bit of a downer because now Israel has lost 30,000 foot soldiers, they’ve been utterly defeated, the ark of the covenant has been taken AND Hophni and Phinehas are dead. Nothing in these verses seems to offer a glimmer of hope; but if you look closely, you see how God can use a MESS to bring about the Word that He spoke from the beginning. The fact is, Hophni and Phinehas were supposed to die just as God said they would along with the rest of the house of Eli. So, God had effectively used Israel’s mess to carry out His plan.

So, by now you’re saying “That’s nice, Angelique, but that means nothing to me.” Well, okay; maybe if I explain it this way: God can even use your MESS! You know the one that you thought took you WAY off the path that God intended; The mess that you were convinced would make God hate you; The mess that you thought would utterly destroy you; The mess that you swore completely disqualified you from God’s blessings; The mess that, you were certain, had made God turn His back on you, the mess that left you brokenhearted, the mess that left you distrusting of everyone including God…….. yeah, THAT mess! God  can use even THAT mess to bring about His Word toward you. What word am I talking about? The one that says, “I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11) God spoke those Words toward each of us and I am a walking testimony that it’s true! You see, I thought I had wasted years of time in my mess and there was no way I could get back to a place of joy, peace, contentment, DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD! I thought all of those things were gone; lost to me because of the mess that I created for myself; but God’s Word was and is still true for me. What I’ve found is, in SPITE of and in LIGHT of my mess God has drawn me so much closer to Himself, He’s restored me 100 times over, I’ve come to know His love on a deeper level and most importantly He now has ALL of me, including my heart (which was ever so elusive before. lol) I’m blessed to know that God’s plans cannot be thwarted and He can bring His plans about IN SPITE OF AND IN LIGHT OF our mess. God’s sovereignty really blows my mind! How, He knew before I did, the choices that I’d make, and He decided that He would use even my bad decisions to draw me closer to Him. And what’s even better; He can and WILL REDEEM that time that I thought was lost and wasted! Now, THAT’s a God worth serving.

This scripture is a great reminder that God is ALWAYS at work in the lives of His people, even when we can’t see the construction. And what the enemy means for my evil, God means for my good because “ALL things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28) So, if you’re feeling discouraged by the situation you now find yourself in because of choices you made, take a moment to pray this prayer:

Prayer 2 Pray: God, you are the Perfect God and I am hopelessly imperfect. But, I thank you for your PERFECT LOVE that covers a multitude of sins. (1 Pet. 4:8). God, I thank you that even in the midst of my bad choices you are working. I ask that you would first, forgive me for choosing to settle for less than what you intended for me. Forgive me for making choices that forced me to compromise who you created me to be and undermined my relationship with you. Father, now, I ask that you would meet me right where I am. I’m tired of slipping and falling over the mess I created for myself. I don’t know how to get myself out of this mess, but I know that when I call on the name of Jesus anything is possible. So, Father, I’m calling on the name of Jesus; I need you to meet me in my mess and if it’s not your will to remove me from my mess help me to hold on to the Hope and Faith that you are using this mess to make me better because your Word tells me that ALL things are working together for my good. Help me to be encouraged knowing that you are there with me, I am never alone, and I will be so much better on the other side of this difficult storm. Thank you for meeting me right where I am and guiding me, with your unconditional love, right back into your loving arms. I thank you for all of these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bless God & God Bless,

THE Writer’s Pen, Angel