Quiet Doesn't Mean Nothing Is Happening | 1 Samuel 2 | Crossroads Daily

Where pride is pulling at you? Jamie, it's like bold of you to think there's only one. Yeah, right. So we got right. I guess to get vulnerable in this moment of. This is the crossroads daily, no experts, no perfect people just honest conversations about what happens when the Bible shows up in real life. Hello, I'm Chuck. I'm Jamie. I'm Peter. I'm Sierra and we are talking about first Samuel chapter two, Hannah's prayer. We've got some more commentary on Eli's sons, but there is just a picture of faithfulness that I think we're invited into in this chapter. And so when you think about faithfulness, who is someone who's inspired you by their faithfulness and what have you learned from them? I'm actually going to jump in on this first because I have somebody who comes to mind that all of us know, and maybe some of you out there know too, his name is Scott Dill and Scott's been a part of Crossroads for years and years and years. And I've gotten to kind of minister alongside Scott. Let me tell you Scott story in a nutshell, Scott came to Crossroads not as a believer. He was a musician. He met Jesus in our church, became a pastor over time in our church, but worked first as a custodian. Like Scott has just been faithful in all these different ways. And so when I think about Scott, the thing I think about is the power of humbly saying yes to Jesus and I've watched Scott grow an authority. I mean, he's a person I go to for prayer support. Many of us do because he walks in such spiritual authority. And I think that just comes from him humbly saying yes to God. So I think about Scott Dill when I think about faithfulness.

I think about my parents. I vividly remember when I was a little girl and like my bedtime routine. And I remember my dad kneeling on the side of his bed in prayer. And sometimes I would like climb on him and try to like distract him and like get his attention, but he would just always be so fixated on prayer. And I think for me looking back as an adult, I realized that their rhythms and exercises of faith were not only when they didn't feel like it. Like it was never up to their feelings to engage and the sacrifices. So this always inspired by their, their goodness and faithfulness. Yeah, what a powerful model. Yeah, growing up seeing that. I love you dad. I'll go with my mom. I mean, just the chapter made me think of her because it's Hannah praying. You know, a new mom, you know, yeah, and a faithful mom and just she had ever made up with her light. She had every reason to reject God to be better, to be angry, all the thing. Like she, she could have perpetuated generational curses in our family, all those things. She could have, she could have done that and she chose a different path. And I just have so many examples of her just going before God for us, for all of her kids, you know, and so it's just, yeah, I see my mom in this, in this chapter. So yeah, yeah. Can I give a young example? You sure can. Absolutely. My niece, Marley is 14 years old and she's making decisions as a believer at that age that I just could not imagine. Maybe even like in some of my adult years to the point of like had a best

friend and was like, you don't know Jesus. And so I don't know if we can still be friends, not in a bad way of like that inner circle kind of a thing and invited her to camp. And then at camp, she met Jesus. And so like she's just not willing to hide her faith even at 14. And I'm just in awe of her and I think super sweet way to go. Marley too. Yeah, just that's incredible. What a cool name. Yeah. I love the range of just the experiences we just talked about. Like all, all different kinds of people. And, you know, there's definitely a contrast in this chapter, I think between the growing faithfulness as we'll see of Samuel and the waning. Maybe you recall it, faithfulness of Eli and probably the lack of faithfulness of Eli's son. So what, what, what popped to you guys as you think about that, that tension of what God is communicating in this chapter. I think with Eli's sons, like they grew up with their dad being in the, the faith business and there's probably just like an assumption of like, well, I'm covered under my dad's, whatever. And I think that that is just such a natural, like desire or like a trap that we can fall into. And so like my family has a lot of ministers in it and like my dad's a pastor and all these other people in my family, my aunts and uncles. And so I'm like, God, don't ever let me think that I can. don't know they're motive for being faithless but nonetheless we see the disaster that it produced. That's right. My sister told me God does not have spiritual grandchildren. Only children. Right. It has to be your faith and that's powerful. I feel I almost feel bad for Eli in a way but also I see just his he doesn't step in

like he could and he doesn't and I just it pains me to see like an abdication of responsibility or a hard conversation or a conflict and like a lack of just really parenting and then you and then the results are the Bible calls a very few people worthless. He calls Eli son worthless man. I'm like okay that's like that's that's that's tough and I just I know and I know Eli it's almost like Eli knows too and that must I just I get so much empathy from that the pain of looking at your children and just being like I know God views him as worthless and I know and I can't I can't stop it. It's gotten to the point of no return and so but also maybe Samuel is an opportunity for Eli you know almost there is a little bit of a second chance type of situation there and so Eli has a few moments where yeah that's good foreshadowing where this is gonna go next right yeah yeah yeah and I think we have to call it what it is I think for Eli sons they live in a bit of a prideful place right pride in their position right my dad is the my dad's the man and I think there's a the pride thing there. Hannah's prayer I love her prayer and I you know you guys know I love whenever there's a connection to Jesus in the Old Testament I always want to like point it out if you haven't recently read it I would encourage you to read Luke chapter one because what you'll find in Luke chapter one is Mary's prayer it's a famous prayer it's often prayed it's prayed daily in Catholic churches but it's also a Christmas it's part of Christmas stories called the Magnificat and as you read Mary's prayer you will hear the echoes of Hannah's prayer and so I actually think in some ways Samuel is set up to be a type of Christ and what I mean by that is he's a picture of the faithfulness that ultimately Jesus will fulfill. He's a picture of in a time when people hadn't heard from the Lord think about it in the Old Testament what we hear is that had been 400 years since any prophet had spoken to the nation of Israel before John the Baptist comes and then ultimately Jesus and in Samuel's case it had been taught there had been a time where Eli hadn't been hearing from the Lord in the way they used to and along comes this boy born to a mother who is faithful who ultimately will bring about the rescue of a nation and then the part of Jesus entire world and so I just love that connection there so let's talk about like humility versus pride is there a place in your life where you're struggling with humility right now where pride is pulling at you. Jamie I was like hold of you to think there's only one. Yeah right. That's how we got right. I guess to get vulnerable in this moment of I at work like I work in human resources and I don't know every aspect of human resources but I feel like my knowledge about the organization and my experiences and the things I piece together and like how quick like quick on

my feet I can be or how I can fix things I like get into this place of being like well shouldn't I be able to speak into that or shouldn't I and I shouldn't I like I know in my heart that I shouldn't but there's just something in me when I'm not at the table or I'm not in the room that I'm like I feel in a front and I know that that's only pride so that's that is one of the examples. I can relate to that. Mine's resting and receiving from God actually my pride gets in the way. It's something he's been pushing me on recently where because receiving from God puts you in the position of supplicant almost I can't say you are putting yourself underneath God and so often I still fall in the trap of you my relationship with him. It's also applies to other people too as transactional as okay I you know I want to be close to you so this happens and then I'll make sure to give this back even with even with other people like I'm like oh like if someone offers me something or wants to give me something I'm like I have to make sure hey by the way I can and I can get you back at this time. I'm always trying to keep the playing field level so to speak and and that I sometimes don't have, or that's not natural for me, and it's actually blocking. I'm the one getting in the way of that relationship. So, yeah. - I think for me, it can be generosity. Like, I think more recently, that has felt like an afterthought, or someone may ask for something where I'll have a natural, natural and the only spirit like, "Okay, Sierra, maybe you should do this." I'm like, "Let me get back with you. Let me actually see what I have back here before I say yes to that." But that's not, I don't know. That's just ignorance most times. So, serving and being generous

and more than what I can even see in real time. - I think for me, I realized that humility has to be a practice, you know? As much as I want to believe it's my default, it's not. It's natural to be selfish, and I think it's natural to take pride, especially if you're accomplished or whatever that may be, but there's an invitation to practice humility. And I love what you said, Peter. I think it's really valuable for us to think about today is like, how do you put yourself in a place of need with God? That's gonna look different for all of us, but I think that's a practical thing to walk away from today with. Like, if there is a way for you today to put yourself in practical need of God, do that thing, or don't do that thing. Sometimes it's what you refrain from doing, right? But that might be a great place to land. Just thinking about today, as we go through our day, as you go through your day, let's put ourselves in the place of supple can, and see what God does, 'cause the Bible says he gives grace to the Father. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) [MUSIC PLAYING]