Relighting the Fire
1 Samuel 3:1-4
1. And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord under the direction of Eli. And the Word of the Lord was precious (rare) in those days; there was no open vision.
2. And it came to pass at that time when Eli had laid down to sleep in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim that he could not see:
3. And ere the lamp of God went out in the Temple of the Lord, where the Ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep.
4. That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, “Here am I.”
The Power Outage
There are two key verses that strike as odd reading for this third chapter of 1 Samuel. First, the Word of the Lord was precious (rare) in those days; there was no open vision. Why was the Word of God rare “in those days” as compared to perhaps other times in Israel’s brief history? What’s going on to cause this type of condition of God’s Word almost being hidden from people? If God’s Word was hidden, then there must be something going on that caused it and as well as a consequence of not being able to see the Word of God.
The second odd reading is in verse 3 that talks about the lamp of God went out in the Temple of the Lord. That was not supposed to happen. According to Exodus 27:20, the children of Israel were supposed to supply the priests with olive oil to cause the lamp to burn always. This obviously had changed and there seemed to be no alarm over it. Eli, the High Priest, just went on to sleep as if it was no big deal and Samuel did know any difference at this point. But things were about to change. God was about to show up and the young boy Samuel was about to speak up. If the Israelites were not going to relight the “Lamp of God” in the tabernacle, then God would do it Himself. There was no one, at this point, seeking after God and Samuel did not know how. But he would soon learn that God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.
This power outage in Israel was nothing new. Throughout their history, God’s chosen people, had turned away from the Lord to serve idols. Power outages had caused them to be harassed by their pagan neighbors. Power outages had caused them to suffer under the hands of invaders in their country. Power outages had cause them to loose sight of God’s commandment and covenant. All they needed to do to end the power outage was simply relight the “Lamp of God.” This would have been symbolic of them renewing their faith in God and renewing their commitment to serve Him faithfully.
Sadly, we’re seeing this same sad scenario being played out in the Church of God today. The “Lamp of God” has gone out in the Church and seemingly, no one is taking it to heart; no one seems to be alarmed over the missing light. The world is on the brink of ruin from a pandemic and people don’t seem to be taking it to heart. There are a few folk who are waking up in this midnight of misery. There are some godly people who realize that the missing light means missing blessing. There are some in the Church that understand that if things don’t light up soon, all hope will be lost. These who recognize the darkness of our day have begun to acknowledge their failure and need for God’s light. These broken and penitent saints are praying that God would relight the fire of our souls and renew us in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Without the Power of the Holy Spirit, not only is the thrill gone but the will is gone. Dear God in Heaven, we need Light!
Doing Something About the Darkness
We can sympathize with the person that has lost power because they could not afford to pay the bill. We understand if people occasionally forget the due date and it results in disconnection. What we cannot understand is how God’s people would literally disconnect their faith and then complain that things are not working out. God takes our commitment seriously even if we don’t. He takes our personal ministry unto Him to heart even in the small things we do, like taking the time to put oil in a lamp.
Thankfully, God is not satisfied with our disconnection and acts to restore power to our broken and gloomy lives. God relights the fire in our hearts and does something about the darkness that we only complain about. At the same time, God speaks to those who will be instrumental in bringing His Light into the dark places.
We can all do something about the darkness. That’s right, we can all do something about the darkness. It is all a part of responding to God’s Fire. As the narrative unfolded for Samuel, God spoke to the young lad in the darkness and the message God spoke to Samuel in the darkness, Samuel spoke it in the daylight. Even though he did not know many things about God, Samuel knew enough to listen.
So how did God reveal Himself to Samuel and how did that fire get lit in the soul of this soon to be prophet? While there was no visible flame in the night, there was the revelation of God’s Word to Samuel. This relighting took three basic forms. First, it was tangible and real. When God spoke, Samuel literally heard someone calling to him. Second, this relighting was relevant. God did not show Samuel mysteries that would baffle the people; God showed Samuel clear details of current situations. They were so relevant, that when Eli heard them he said, “it is the Lord … let Him do as He pleases.” The third form was recognition; that encounter with God changed Samuel so much that the entire nation acknowledged that he was a prophet of God.
That same Fire of God is available to change us today. It is critical that some things change in our life. We must begin asking God to reveal the Fire to us. So many dear Saints of God are praying for God to show up when God’s plan is for us to speak up. Rather than God lighting up a bush, as he did with Moses, God wants to light up our life. God wants to use us as a torch in the dark to point people to the Truth, the Way, and the Life. We just need to listen.
Our fire needs to be real. We can’t pretend that we have fire by using religious expressions and clichés. We can’t fake the fire. This calls for a true understanding of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Far too long, people have expressed their relationship with the Holy Spirit as more of an experience. Too many of us have even limited the Holy Spirit’s power to emotional expression. Yes, He does impact us emotionally, but should never be limited to emotional expression. We should express our relationship with the Holy Spirit in the same way that we express our relationship with Jesus, our Lord. The Holy Spirit is a Person. Please do not dishonor Him by treating Him as an experience or some wonderful emotional feeling. Quit saying “Something got a hold of me.” If the Power of God is in your life, give credit to the Holy Spirit.
Our fire not only needs to be real, it needs to be relevant. God has not sent us into the world equipped with Holy Spirit power to express religious superiority. People want to know that you care. People want to know that you have something to help them through their valleys. God does not always send you to personally correct every wrong that is in people’s lives – just hold the Lamp of God so they can see. Everyone will know when you catch on fire because they will see it in your willingness to serve. Everyone will know when you catch on fire because they will know your sincerity. Everyone will know when you catch on fire because they will take note that you have been with Jesus. You will be relevant as you share the Love of God through the Power of Holy Spirit.
Our fire must also be recognized. Isaiah spoke of the shining of God’s Light, which is the attribute of the Fire of God. Arise, shine for your light has come, and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon you … for behold darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness, the people: but the Lord shall arise upon you, and His Glory shall be seen upon you … and Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Is it any wonder that God wants His Church to be recognized by the world as His Light in dark places? We must playing with the fire. We must stop pretending we have the fire. We must ask God to reveal Himself in us. Let your Light shine. Let the Power of the Holy Spirit shine. Let Christ shine through you.