Stealing Samuels Thunder

An outline written years ago, original studies, unpolished, ultimately there were a few messages here that the Lord gave me at that time. I think one was preached from a pulpit and the rest were taught in Sunday School class in Rochester to 5th and 6th graders. Title: Stealing Samuel’s Thunder Turn to 1 Sam 2 There are those of you in this room tonight who love the Lord Jesus Christ, who love this blessed ol’ book, and who have a burden for the souls around the world because that is what our Saviour is most interested in. These are the ones that have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, God has met with you, He has washed you in His blood and He has a lit a fire in your life – those are you who are here and you want • more access to Him, • more power through Him, • more communion with Him, • more fire for Him, • more knowledge of Him and • you want to bear more fruit for Him. It is only natural then that we read through the scriptures and we get excited about who God has put His hand upon through Biblical times and want more than anything to be used to such a capacity Who wouldn’t want to be equipped and entrusted with • the fire of Elijah, • the boldness of the prophets, • the ability to overcome the appeasement of the flesh like Paul • the worshipful heart of David, • the wisdom of Solomon, • the patience of Job, • the character of Daniel, • the leadership ability of Nehemiah, • the meekness of Moses, • the faith of Abraham • and the list goes on. Well tonight I want to challenge you regarding another man that God used mightily in scripture, a man that much is written about, a man placed in a strategic and transitional place in Biblical history and a man that had a wonderful reverence of God. Tonight I want to preach to you on the topic of STEALING SAMUEL’s THUNDER 1Sa 2:1 And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. 1Sa 2:2 There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 1Sa 2:3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 1Sa 2:4 The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. 1Sa 2:5 They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. 1Sa 2:6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 1Sa 2:7 The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. 1Sa 2:8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them. 1Sa 2:9 He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. 1Sa 2:10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. pray What we just read is the prayer of Hannah, the mother of Samuel – and can I say this – if you are a young person in this room and your momma is in here with you, and she loves Jesus – you ought to give praise to the Lord and a hug to your momma – what a wonderful thing it is that you have a godly heritage – so many children in the world do not… I wanted to call your attention to that passage for three reasons 1) I love to hear people brag on God 2) It shows us the example of a prayer warrior that Samuel had in his life (although limited) 3) It is so prophetic of the Lord Jesus Christ in Verse 10 and also has a very interesting tie to her son Samuel Many things can be said about Samuel, amen?! Countless messages have been and will continue to be preached connected to a number of accounts we have of this man in Scripture. We could spend endless hours studying this man and his ministry. This was a man who • was consecrated before birth, • born as a miraculous answer to prayer • was an example of the ability a child has to minister unto the Lord even in their youth • Overcame an atmosphere of corruption in the ministry to serve God in sincerity and truth • Was receptive to the calling of God • He cherished and took seriously the word of God – to the point where Samuel’s name was almost synonymous in Israel with the word of God • Served as both a judge and a prophet • Willing to deliver the message of judgment as well as mercy • Saw some revival as Israel repented under his reproof and admonition • Was a precedent for the circuit riding preacher • Was used in the anointing of two kings • Was used to convey the message of the rejection of a king by God • Had supernatural events occur in his ministry • And hated sin with such a passion that when Saul let Agag live – a picture of allowing sin to linger in our camp – he went as far as hacking Agag to pieces… I remember when I took 1+2 Samuel in Bible school, by the end of the semester, my friends and I had affectionately named the class “1+2 Separation” because this man was a model of holiness – he wanted nothing to do with the ways of the world, he had a hatred for sin and a zeal for God – he was unafraid to stand for righteousness even if it meant confronting the King There was never anything bad recorded about about him – nothing blatently sinful that God chose to tell us – we could make some speculation at best about his parenting considering his kids didn’t turn out so good but that would be speculation – of course he was a sinner but he is a great example of the believers to us 121 times His name is in your King James Bible – there are only 10 other names recorded in scripture more times that Samuel which puts him in company with Paul, Jeremiah, Moses, Abraham, David, Peter and of course our Lord Jesus . And as far as being immortalized so to speak, we know He made the list in Hebrews 11 with others who were greatly used of God by faith. Heb 11:32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: God made Samuel a reference point in the History of Israel – HE WAS THE FIRST OF THE PROPHETS AS WE KNOW THEM (prophesying and advising in the time of the Kings) - Act 3:24 (PETER SPEAKING) Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. And he was the last of the Judges – Act 13:20 (PAUL SPEAKING) And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. The truth is that he was the quintessential and intended leader of the country under God’s authority – he demonstrated in 1 Samuel 7 that he had the ideal blend of military, judicial and spiritual leadership needed for this nation. Let’s turn to 1 Samuel 7 for a moment. It’s said that it is bad to steal someone’s thunder but we are going to take a look at 2 miraculous events that God performed through the prophet Samuel. Then I hope to show you some things about Samuel’s life that made his prayer life so powerful that these things came to pass. Perhaps at the end there will be some things that we can learn that would allow us to steal some of Samuel’s thunder in our prayer life. I want you to recall 1 Sam 2:10 that we read a moment ago that prophesied that out of heaven shall he thunder upon them Little did Hannah know that her prayer recognizing God’s power would actually be a prophetical statement of what God would do through her new son Samuel as well It was through Samuel that God truly would bring that thunder upon his adversaries. 1Sa 7:10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. So here we see that God brought a great thunder on the Philistines to win a victory in response to Samuel’s prayer and sacrifice. Lets now look over at 1 Sam 12 1Sa 12:16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. 1Sa 12:17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king. 1Sa 12:18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. Here we see Samuel calling thunder and rain down as a sign to show the children of Israel their wickedness in wanting a king. It’s clear that Samuel had the power of God on him. He was a man that feared and reverenced God and because of that he did incredible things through him. We see the thunders that came with the plague of Hail in Exodus but as far as I can tell Samuel is the only one in the Bible who had thunder produced on request from God. And it happened twice. On 2 occasions and for 2 very different reasons God produced thunder for Samuel Samuel Chadwick said "There is no power like that of prevailing prayer -- of Abraham pleading for Sodom, Jacob wrestling in the stillness of the night, Moses standing in the breach, Hannah intoxicated with sorrow, David heart-broken with remorse and grief, Jesus in sweat and blood. Prayer turns ordinary mortals into men of power. It brings power. It brings fire. It brings rain. It brings life. It brings God." This man was a man that could get a hold of God in a mighty way – He is a man who saw prayer answered, amen?! In fact, both King David and God Himself compared Samuel with Moses when it came to having access to God. Psa 99:6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them. Jer 15:1 Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. ***So what was it about Samuel that the God of heaven would hearken to a request of this magnitude. Let’s see what we learn from the text in 1 Sam 7 1Sa 7:1 And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. 1Sa 7:2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 1Sa 7:3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 1Sa 7:4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. 1Sa 7:5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. 1Sa 7:6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. 1Sa 7:7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 1Sa 7:8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 1Sa 7:9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. 1Sa 7:10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. People will say, what a victory, the defeat of those Philistines The Victory was the revival that took place, - what a time of spiritual drought - cold dead religion and blatent open sin and idolatry Before the thunder ever rumbled or the Philistines ever took a step in the other direction – the victory had been won because the hearts of Israel had turned back to the Lord So this begs the question… Are tragedies necessary in order to triumph? Do we need an army of Philistines about to kill us to respond to God’s plea? Must God bring or allow the worst to come upon us to get us where he wants us? If so, then let it come but if you are needing revival let me suggest that it would be a lot better for you if you allowed the goodness of God to lead you to repentance. So now we get to this man Samuel – a military leader, a judge, a prophet and clearly a man that could access the thunder of God’s power in his prayer life WHAT WAS IT ABOUT HIM? KEYS to Samuels Thunder – 1) ALL YOUR HEART – God’s pleasure your sole passion – motive 1Sa 7:3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 1Sa 12:20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; 1Sa 12:21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. 1Sa 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. Samuel knew that God wanted all of His heart No room for compartmentalized Christianity – no chambers for the things of darkness – the spirit of God is in this temple Even as we consider the 2nd half of each of those verses we learn some things – 1 Sam 7 – get rid of false gods, 1 Sam 12:21 – get rid of your vain things and 1 Sam 12:24 – CONSIDER GOD – what great things he hath done for us – We need to consider Jesus – He needs to be the center of our thoughts – the center of our ministry, the center of our devotion – with no room for the other stuff Look at how Luke started the book of Acts – Act 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Act 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: Act 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: Your heart needs to lift up and magnify the Lord Jesus Mark 12 teaches us that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength… Prov 4 tells us to keep thy hear with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life In Mark 12 again it say out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh How is your heart tonight David penned in Ps 19 – let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer. When I was teaching a group of youth – about 60 kids – I did a series on based on an Acrostic of the word TESTIMONY T – tongue E – ears S – Sight T – Thoughts I – Integrity M – motives O – Obedience N – neighborly – service Y – yielded Do you know what I found – and it shouldn’t be a surprise – the connection to every aspect of our testimony, our service, our relationship with God and our power with God goes back to the heart… T – tongue – out of the abundance of the heart – the Mouth speaketh E – ears - Eze 3:10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. Rom 10:17 – faith, hearing, Word (HEAR THE WORD – heart of FAITH – HEAR THE WORLD – its music, its philosophies – heart of deceit and wickedness S – Sight – mine eye affecteth mine heart (I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes) ( I have made a covenant with mine eyes…) T – Thoughts – as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he (casting down imaginations) I – Integrity – Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself – integrity – yea, yea, nay , nay – uncompromised 1Ki 9:4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: 1Ki 9:5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever M – motives – we know that the right motives are going to be the LOVE OF GOD, appreciation for God and desire to please God – and if our heart is not pure than we will have motives far different than these – profit, power, pride etc O – Obedience – and yielding – go together True obedience will not just be rote exercises but from the heart N – neighborly – service – our text – serve with all your heart Y – yielded Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. All our heart should be given to magnifying the Lord and Samuel understood that I magnify the name of Jesus tonight MY JESUS He gave up heaven to make a way for us to go there He was rich but for us He became poor so we could become rich Left heaven where he was honoured and glorified – He walked on streets of gold, lived in a mansion and sat on a throne – Here He became homeless He rode on the clouds there - then he came here and borrowed a donkey He owned the universe, and when He died here, he didn’t even have clothes on His back He was worshipped in heaven – he was spit on here He wore a crown up there but a crown of thorns down here He took enough judgment for you on the cross that God had no more judgment left for sin – the wrath of God was so fierce that complete justice was served for every atrocious sin in those few hours by Christ. (HE SAW THE TRAVAIL OF HIS SOUL AND WAS SATISFIED!) He was shunned by His Father He was torn to shred for our sins God punished His perfect son for a rebellious, vile, hell deserving sinner like me. Is He worthy of my adoratioj? Is He worthy of the money He has allowed me to have? Is He worthy of the energy He has given me? Is He worthy of the souls that He died for? Is He worthy of worshippers from every kindred, tribe, tongue and nation? He is worthy of all Glory honour and praise If we want the thunder of God’s power in our prayer life – we should start with giving God all our heart and magnifying His name If all your heart is given then abundant fruit will pour out – separation, sanctification and service 2) Obedience better than sacrifice – 1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. Exact obedience – not partial, not half hearted, not insincere – Saul was to kill agag and every thing that moved in that kingdom… method – complete adherence – in fear of God (Isa 29:13)(keys to answer prayer – in name of God , according to will of God, with thanksgiving, (David – moving ark – Sermon on Mt) Isa. 1:11-20 - all worship, no work, no heart, Mal. 1- only the best for God, Mal. 4 – do it the right way There is some obedience in the area of prayer also • Pray often • Pray fervently • Pray expectantly • Pray without regarding iniquity • Pray according to God’s will • Pray with thanksgiving • Pray in the name and authority of the Lord Jesus • Pray for others 1Sa 12:23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: 3) Hatred for sin – regard iniquity, hack agag – didn’t just kill him – he publicly chopped him up…Zeal 1Sa 15:27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. 1Sa 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. 1Sa 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. 1Sa 15:30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. 1Sa 15:31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD. 1Sa 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. 1Sa 15:33 And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. Later – confession, fasting, service, offering ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ It was through Samuel that God truly would bring that thunder upon his adversaries. 1Sa 7:7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 1Sa 7:8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 1Sa 7:9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. 1Sa 7:10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. So here we see that God brought a great thunder on the Philistines to win a victory in response to Samuel’s prayer and sacrifice. Lets now look over at 1 Sam 12 1Sa 12:16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. 1Sa 12:17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king. 1Sa 12:18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. (points – gave the glory to God, people knew to beseech him for prayer, people saw the audience he had with God and feared him also, Here we see Samuel calling thunder and rain down as a sign to show the children of Israel their wickedness in wanting a king. It’s clear that Samuel had the power of God on him. He was a man that feared and reverenced God and because of that he did incredible things through him. We see the thunders that came with the plague of Hail in Exodus but as far as I can tell Samuel is the only one in the Bible who had thunder produced on request from God. And it happened twice. On 2 occasions and for 2 very different reasons God produced thunder for Samuel Samuel Chadwick said "There is no power like that of prevailing prayer -- of Abraham pleading for Sodom, Jacob wrestling in the stillness of the night, Moses standing in the breach, Hannah intoxicated with sorrow, David heart-broken with remorse and grief, Jesus in sweat and blood. Prayer turns ordinary mortals into men of power. It brings power. It brings fire. It brings rain. It brings life. It brings God." This man was a man that could get a hold of God in a mighty way – He is a man who saw prayer answered, amen?! In fact, both King David and God Himself compared Samuel with Moses when it came to having access to God. Psa 99:6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them. Jer 15:1 Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. ***So what was it about Samuel that the God of heaven would hearken to a request of this magnitude. In a short study of Samuel I found 8 things that contributed to his thunderous prayer life. I am going to share with you the first 4 of them tonight. 1. Samuel was consistently receptive to God’s calling When God called him as a boy – Samuel listened, he was receptive and he was obedient. He kept asking, he didn’t give up, he wanted to be obedient to the call. 3 Times he ran into Eli when he heard his name called out of obedience when Eli finally recognized it was God calling him. We need to listen when God is calling. Hopefully we don’t get so out of contact with God during the week that we have to become an Altar Athlete on Sundays as Pastor said in Romans class, constantly having to get things right because we mess up so often. On the same token though I pray that I never come to church so often that I get comfortable around conviction either. If the Holy Spirit has something for you then you need to be receptive to his call and seek his help in that area. We need to be consistently receptive to God’s calling and willing to answer. 2. Samuel had a thunderous prayer life because he learned the power of prayer from others. He had been told about what God could do through prayer. I believe in a way he was discipled by his mother. My suspicion is that Samuel was made well aware of the answer to prayer that he was from his mother. Although she only saw him once a year I would expect that she made sure he knew how he came into being and that he understood this one principle long before James ever wrote it down: Jam 5:16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Often it comes down to just that, the answers to prayer and blessings that we hear from others show us what power there is in prayer and challenge us personally to get ourselves seeking God more. Prayer meetings, people being saved, recoveries from sickness, jobs that people got, missions trips being blessed, seeing the protection of God on our leaders and missionaries that we pray for and so much more. What an example for him to learn from, she prayed so sorrowfully and fervently that when Eli saw her he thought she was drunk. So are we recognizing the power of prayer in others and allowing that to challenge us more? Can we say that we are that kind of example or testimony to our kids as Hannah was? Are we discipling them in prayer? Do they see the power that prayer brings in our lives? I heard a story recently about a man who took each of his kids at different times to the place of prayer. He would put his had on their head and pray for them openly. When he died, you know that was the one thing they all remembered and they could still feel his hand upon their head. What will our kids remember about us? 3. Samuel took the time to sacrifice He understood the importance of sacrifice. Often times we want answers but we don’t want to put the time in, we don’t justify any time on our knees. We don’t want to fast. We don’t want to sacrifice. When things get busy or something comes up then maybe it’s our prayer or study time that gets shortened. This is when we need more time with God- not less. We saw in Ch 7 v9 that they were about to be attacked, things were a little busy around the camp but Samuel knew that this was the time when he most needed to sacrifice. I mentioned a few weeks ago in Home Bible study while I was teaching a lesson on prayer about how I have been finding it so tough to make as much time for prayer considering how busy my schedule is. All these classes, my family, my jobs, ministries etc consume a lot of time and I know I’m not alone here, many of you men know exactly what I’m talking about. We’re all very busy and for very good causes. To be sustained though, to not grow weary in well doing we need to be on our faces. I’ve had it backwards and I found that I preached to myself that night. I can’t do it on my own. I need to give that time to God even more if I hope to be sustained through this time and if I hope to see my family sustained. Does a hectic life make us spend more or less time in prayer? 4. Samuel cried out to God for thunder. V9 He knew that he was helpless on his own and he beseeched God by crying out for Him. He laid the burden entirely on God and had faith that he would come through. David wrote in Psa 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. We know that God knows our hearts and how sincere we are. Whether audible cries or silent God knows whether we’re crying to him sincerely or if we’re halfheartedly asking him in a non-expectant way. Which do you think he will heed? Are we truly crying out to God or is it some little wimper without any expectation? If we had more time we could see that Samuel’s prayer life had power because: 5. Samuel recognized and proclaimed that God was the source of his power. 6. Samuel feared the Lord and not man. 7. Samuel interceded for others. 8. Samuel instructed others Conclusion: We may never be the judge, prophet and man of God that Samuel was but we could all benefit by Stealing his thunder in our prayer lives. These examples of Samuel should teach us to be receptive to God’s call. To gain encouragement and perhaps challenge from others To give God the time and perhaps the tears he deserves To recognize that all power comes from God and to fear him only. To pray for others as well as yourself And finally to help others with the same principles along the way. Job 26:14 Lo, these [are] parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand? We cant fathom the power of God and it’s us that limits God from showing more of his power through us but I believe we can learn some things from Samuel that can help us to have more effective prayer lives. Is there anyone in here that wouldn’t want like to have a prayer life with God that could produce thunder?