[One-Verse Meditation]

1 Samuel 3:19 (NIV) “The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.”

[Meditation]

When the LORD called a third time, even the spiritually dull priest Eli finally realized it was God. He told Samuel to reply, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” The era had now come when the very words he himself could no longer hear had to be received through a child.

After hearing from Samuel the terrible message of judgment upon his house, Eli confesses:

“It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him” (3:18).

On the surface, it is a most pious confession of faith. He knew God’s goodness and sovereignty. But the tragedy is that, while ‘knowing’ this fact, he did not turn back to the good God. Nowhere in the Bible is his repentance or a change in his life recorded. That is why many theologians view his confession not as ‘faith’ but as ‘resignation.’ Knowing and believing are this different.

Samuel, on the other hand, stands in the light. God “let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.” This goes beyond simply meaning that Samuel’s authority grew; it shows how God nurtures His prophets. God not only gave Samuel the word, but He also made him see with his own eyes how that word was fulfilled in reality.

It is the same for us. The Lord not only gives us the word, but He also lets us see it being fulfilled in our lives. He allows us to experience it not just as letters or doctrine, but as a living, active power. Through this cycle of promise and fulfillment, we come to desire the word more, and living by the word becomes our identity. This is the very way that Christ, the Word who became flesh, leads us today.

[Prayer]

Lord, thank you for giving me Your word today and allowing me to enjoy its life-giving power in my life. As I deeply experience You, the Word who became flesh, let me sing of Your goodness with my whole being. Amen.

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[Daily Reading]

1 Samuel 3:6-21