Read: 1 Samuel 2:27-36
I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. (v. 35)
I occasionally substitute teach at our local middle school. As you might imagine, middle schoolers sometimes have a tendency to forget what their regular teacher expects of them. They enjoy pushing boundaries and questioning my intelligence. They stretch my patience. And, they soon learn that I won’t put up with it.
Hophni, Phinehas, and even Eli seemed to have conveniently forgotten how to perform faithfully in God’s house. Yet God made it clear that he wouldn’t put up with their naïve forgetfulness. God would remedy the situation by raising up a priest (Samuel) who would faithfully attend to his priestly responsibilities. God also has a plan for you and me to live faithfully in the world today by being in right relationship with him. As we abide in Christ and are made more and more like him, we can live into the world according to God’s heart and mind. God has always had a plan for using faithful followers for his glory.
If we act as though we don’t know the rules, like middle schoolers misbehaving for a substitute teacher, we are deceiving ourselves about the power and presence of God in our lives. Living faithfully is an opportunity to be the heart and mind of Christ in the world, and when we live into that blessed life, we glorify God.
As you pray, ask Jesus to fill your heart and mind with the plans and purposes of God the Father.
About the Author
Katy Sundararajan is a specialized minister in the Reformed Church in America. She has garnered her pastoral perspectives from posts as a college chaplain, a missionary, an international student advisor, and a higher education and leadership ministries program coordinator.
