Monday Morning Manna  

Monday, July 13

Monday Morning Manna   

Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.” 1 Samuel 9:15-16

Have you ever had the experience of trying to find something, desperately searching, only to find out that the desired object was close at hand all along? Perhaps you were desperately looking for your cell phone only to discover it was in your hands all along or a pencil that you had left behind your ear. Many times, in these cases, we won’t find the object which we thought was lost, until someone else (hopefully) graciously points out to us where to look. This is the word God shared with us through His man servant Rev. Dr. Orville Harris. Speaking from 1 Samuel 9:1-21, Dr. Harris sermon titled ‘What Are You Searching For?’ The sermon aimed at helping us understand when we find God, we find everything.

We must acknowledge that we have been going the wrong way and going in the wrong direction. Once we repent, turn from sin and turn to God we receive God’s pardon. In receiving this pardon we no longer look to the things of this world to fill our needs, instead we seek after the everlasting things with eternity in mind. In these moments, Dr. Harris reminded us that we ought to turn to the wisdom of God to find such things that are everlasting. Turn to God, for if we find Him we find everything that we need.

Samuel was a type of Christ and in this interaction Dr. Harris explained the benefits:

1. He has access to God and grants us access when we come to him in distress—Saul was distressed about losing his father’s donkey but here comes Samuel to share with Saul so much more.
2. He calms us by giving security, peace of mind, by telling us that what we are looking for has already been found, because all things are created by him for him and through him—God says to relax.
3. He grants access through worship, by taking us to higher heights with him.
4. He gives us more than what we came looking for— Yes it is true in 1 Samuel 9, Saul lost some things but what he gained was far better. Saul came looking for a donkey and left as a king.

Today the Lord is asking us the same question. What do you seek? What are you hunting for, to satisfy your soul’s deep longing? He’s still asking. He still wants to know, because we are really good at looking for all the wrong things, in all the wrong places. Dr. Harris explained one of the biggest keys in our search for our genuine needs (such as unconditional love, acceptance, affirmation, and security) is that we need God to open our eyes, so we can see what we’ve already been given when we came to believe in Jesus. This truth was powerfully brought home to me yesterday. I realized that many times we look into the unknown for things that are, in fact, close by. But the problem is our eyesight is blinded. Our focus is off. This is why we need our eyes open to God.

It is so encouraging to know in this time that whatever we are searching for has already been found in God. Remember once you are in Providence, the protection of God we have this great assurance that we are safe and secure. Note: Providence of God brings assurance that no matter the present circumstance, a believer is moving forward and will ultimately fulfill God’s plan for your life. Today again I say, Lord I am sorry for not trusting You because I understand now more than ever that we need God’s illumination to see.