Remember when…

Remember when we gathered together, hands raised, voices raised, hearts raised?
Remember when our mouths spread wide in uncovered smiles, in greetings, in worship?
Remember when our pencils itched to scratch and create and dream of new ways to share His love with people?

My heart can be heavy with the echoing silence of these empty church halls.
My voice can be stifled by fear and uncertainty.
My eraser is worn thin.

Oh Samuel, how long will you grieve Saul?
Oh Leader, how long will you grieve what you knew?

It’s tempting to dwell in the past, reimagining only a future like it. Remember when we knew how to lead, gather, worship and dream? Even Samuel, a prophet with a keen ear for the voice of God from early childhood, grieved over Saul’s failed leadership. Samuel remembered the highlight reel of Saul’s reign. He couldn’t forget God leading and directing his people from judgement towards monarchy. Yet, even Samuel questioned his next steps and dared to ask God, “How can I go?”

How can I move when I don’t even know where I am going?
How can I move when I’ve never done this before?
How can I move if my life is threatened?
How can I move, God?

“Fill your horn with oil, and go…and I will show you what you shall do.”
1 Samuel 16:2-4

And yet pace by pace, God tells Samuel just the next step.
Fill your horn with oil. Go. Visit Jesse. Bring a sacrifice. Request his sons.
And yet, pace by pace, Leaders, God is telling us just the next step.

Are you prepared for His anointing even if you don’t know what to look for? Is your horn filled with oil?
Are you continuing to walk out His plans for 2021 with what he’s placed in your hands? Or did you stop when you became unsure of your next step?Will you look beyond what you’ve known to do in the past and bring each new plan before Him?

“Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 1 Samuel 16:6

Do you find yourself saying, “Surely, this is it, Lord? This plan must be right. As man, after man came before Samuel and God, told him, again and again, he wasn’t the chosen one, I wonder if Samuel was frustrated or tired? As we bump into obstacles and difficulties, we can learn to ask a different question: “Is this the end of this road, God?”

Sometimes we have to come to the end of the road, stop looking behind us and look out to the field for what we weren’t anticipating.

“The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 1 Samuel 16:10-13

Oh Leader, leave your grief behind and refuse to sit down until He comes and shows us the new way.

Speak your “remember when” with expectancy for we are about to witness the Spirit of the Lord rush in with the next scene in God’s story.

Photo Credit: Priscilla Du Preez