The Lamp of God

By Carole L. Haines 

 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” (1 Samuel 3:2-4 NASB) 

The lamp of God, meaning “to glisten,” had not gone out yet. The fire of Eli’s ministry had not yet expired. It was still flickering. God had not yet quenched that fire, nor had God extinguished the light of his ministry as Priest of God. There was still hope in that glistening flicker. I believe this Lamp of God represents not only our calling, but also God’s hope within us.

In our Journey out of Fear, we can wander through times where we feel our hope is almost extinguished, where we feel the lamp of God’s Ministry in and through us is about to end or go out. We are tempted to fan that spark back into a roaring fire, but perhaps God is seeking to do a new thing in our lives. Perhaps one fire must die out for God to start another.  

When God’s breath blows on that fire, the sparks fly upward and are often carried to a place where things are dry and dwindling. Let it be God’s breath that carries your spark. God may use our spark to begin another fire in the lives of people seeking Him. We see this again and again in Missionary stories.  

Embrace this journey out of fear and learn to lean solely on God as your Source of strength and guidance. Trust Him as your Provider.  Lean into Him Dear Believer, hold tight on this journey out of fear.  He promises never to leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5 NASB)

He promises to guide us with His hand upon us and bring us through to the Other side.  
Faithful is He who called you who will also bring it to pass.  
(1 Thessalonians 5:24 NASB) 

Sit with Him, embrace that fear that is coming up within you, don’t push it back down or run from it. Yield it to the only one who knows how to bring you out of that place. In our desire to shield ourselves from fear, we can build fortresses of self-protection that will one day turn into prisons we find ourselves locked within. This happened to me. But God is showing me the way out. He has met me in my prison cell of fear and taken hold of my hand. He is leading me out into His Place of Freedom and Joyous Grace. He will lead you, too, Dear Believer. Yield to Him and trust His work within You.