After all the episodes of the ark of God being captured by the Philistines and the return to Isreal, the Isrealites were still under the bondage of the philistines for so many years. However, Samuel offered them deliverance by the hands of God from their oppressors but there was a procedure to be done. There was first going to be a repentance and putting away of their strange gods then worship and service onto God then the deliverance was to come. This sounds similar to God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that despite the issues that they may have had, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”. You can’t jump the process, God is a God of principles, there must be a leaving and then a cleaving. You can’t continue to habour strange gods, habits, friends and sin and yet seeking God’s deliverance. Do you have some things in your life that displease God, why don’t you take the step and repent and turn away from those things, turning to God for salvation and deliverance. Of course it would not be easy. In fact in the process, the storm will look like it is raging the hardest like the Philistines in today’s Bible reading who were coming to deal with Isreal again when they learnt that they had gathered unto the Lord but something had changed in the spiritual and they were consumed this time because the host of Heaven collaborated with the now repentant Isreal to fight their battles. Trust and obey God and He will fight your battles.

Prayer: Dear God, please open my eyes to see anything in my life that is displeasing to you and standing in the way of my answered prayers. I received the grace to turn from then and seek you afresh so that your deliverance will come through for me speedily 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾