I Samuel 3:12-13 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.

God wants to be our source. He wants to be our salvation. It is not considered irresponsible to Him when we live our lives in utter dependence on His guidance and direction. As a matter of fact, this sort of life alone brings joy to His heart. And when God gets happy, look out! Heaven comes down and earth and all its woes are changed in a moment. Samuel, the last and arguably greatest Judge of ancient Israel, lived this way.

In the days of Moses, hundreds of years before Samuel was born, God expressed His plan to forever be the people’s protection as they journeyed to the land of promise. There job was to simply obey His basic commands, i.e., respect Him as Holy Father and God. The goal was for Israel to never need a king to rule over them like the other nations. God would be their king. Unfortunately, human tendency prevailed over time and God’s people wavered time and again. And during those times, when they would cry out, He would answer their cry by way of a helper known as a judge.

The purpose of the judges was to lead the people back to God and His original plan, but often that was not the case. Many of them were plagued with personal character defects and these flaws impeded their ability to effectively govern. Then along comes Hannah’s miracle, Samuel. Dedicated to the service of God before birth, this man of God served faithfully all the days of his life. During some of the darkest days in the land (The death of Eli the Judge and High Priest and his sons, the capture of the Ark of The Covenant, and relentless persecution from the Philistines), his faith and dedication became the rock of safety for His people. And because his devotion had stood the test of time, he was able to get the people to lay down their evil ways and turn wholly to God. As a result, God routed all their enemies and restored peace and prosperity in the land (I Samuel 7). God is truly the Master of “the turn around.” It matters not how bad things get, if anyone will rehearse His promises, He will reverse their problems. And if He did it for Samuel and his generation, He can and will do it for you and me!

 Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”