Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. 1 Samuel 3:7-8.

By your patience possess your souls. Luke 21:19.

Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise You as long as I live, lifting up my hands to You in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise You with songs of joy. Psalm 63:3-5.

And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 36: The Drink-offering: “If any man thirst”. Leviticus 23:36-37: For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the Lord; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work. These are the appointed times of the Lord which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the Lord – burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each day’s matter on its own day. And, John 7:37: Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”

I love the first Scripture verse cited above because the young boy, Samuel, did not yet know the Lord even though he was being raised in the tabernacle under the direction of Eli, the High Priest. He didn’t yet know the Lord but the Lord knew him. No matter our age, surroundings, or circumstances, the Lord knows us. I think that’s why we feel so at home when we finally come back to loving Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. Something essential that was overlooked clicks back into place. And we can continue with God who has never left us. Imagine all He asks of us: To be with Him in Joy lived and given and received. To be with Him in faithful love. To be with Him in delight for His creation. To be with Him in loving and being loved. To be with Him in songs of worship and hope and deep thanksgiving. To be with Him in the new understanding He brings. To BE with Him! He will help us through everything so unsettled in ourselves and in our fallen world. And in Him alone we find ourselves for we are His and He is ours. Jesus, our Lord, understood that as He lived with us then and as He continues to live with us now. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39. All of Scripture is the story of Creator God and us. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us – fixing our eyes on Jesus – the Author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2. We are all of us a part of this amazing story that is still being written and is still unfolding because Jesus has not yet returned! Are we living it with Him? Is that not the question we see lived out in all of Scripture and in the still ongoing history of all of us? We have the very beginning of us and Scripture shows us the end of all the empires of our fallen world as revealed in the Revelation of all things when Jesus, the Son, Creator God, returns. Are we letting His Love BE in us as we trust in Him who alone is worthy? Or, are we still like young Samuel, who did not yet know the Lord, for the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him? Young Samuel grew and lived his part of the story with God. Today we see a fractured, fallen world of empires still. I see the political machinations and am sickened by the commercials glorifying hate and discord and lies. They showcase the very worst in us. Paul’s words echo still today: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit, will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. Galatians 6:7-10. He who believes in Me – as the Scripture has said – from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water!