From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the LORD and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.”
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5 Days
“Where were you, God? I can't see your hand in my story. Your heart might be good, just not to me.” In this devotional, you will learn that God offers a clear way out of our doubt—by getting our eyes off our surroundings and raising them to places that serve as symbols of God’s faithfulness. Because God’s brought you this far, He won’t stop now.
Are you ready to finally see God's hand at work in countless moments that lay behind you—and more than that, trust His heart and see His vision for the moments ahead? Then look up with Alexandra to the Ebenezer stones that God has not only built in your story, but wants to use in mighty, missional ways.
7 Days
Have you ever seen someone’s hands go up in surrender when frustration overwhelms them? It’s the same position we assume in the physical act of worship. Although spiritual warfare is ever-present in the life of a believer, worship is a weapon to counter everything that attempts to distance and distract us from the Lord's presence. Join Liv Dooley through a seven-day plan to discover the power in surrender.
This week, we will explore the book of 1 Samuel, engaging the transition of Israel from the age of judges to the age of kings. We will spend two days with each of the main characters—Samuel, Saul, and David—seeing both things to emulate and things to avoid as men of God.
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