“Remember Your promise to me; it is my only hope.
Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.” —Psalm 119:49-50 NLT
From ‘Oh No!’ to Overflow
Our
King Saul visits a medium…
“The Philistines set u their camp at Shunem, and Saul gathered all the army of Israel and camped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear.
He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets. Saul then said to his advisors, ‘Fine a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.’ (Something God has forbidden His people from doing)
His advisers replied, ‘There is a medium at Endor.’
So Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. Then he went to the woman’s home at night, accompanied by two of his men.
‘I have to talk to a man who has died,’ he said, ‘Will you call up his spirit for me?’
‘Are you trying to get me killed?’ The woman demanded. ‘You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?’
But Saul took an oath in the name of the Lord and promised, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.’
Finally the woman said, ‘Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?’ ‘Call up Samuel,’ Saul replied. When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, ‘You’ve deceived me! You are Saul!’
‘Don’t be afraid!’ The king told her. ‘What do you see?’
‘I see a god coming up our of the earth,’ she said.
‘What does he look like?’ Saul asked. ‘He is an old man wrapped in a robe.’ She replied. Saul realized it was Samuel, and he fell to the ground before him.
‘Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?’ Samuel asked Saul.
‘Because I am in deep trouble,’ Saul replied. ‘The Philistines are at war with me, and God ha sleft me and won’t reply by prophets or dreams. SO I have called you to tell me what to do.’
But Samuel replied, ‘Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? The Lord has done just as He said He would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David.’” —1 Samuel 28:4-17 NLT
Our
“Remember Your promise to me; it is my only hope.
Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.” —Psalm 119:49-50 NLT“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him.” —Romans 15:13 NLT
“Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, ‘O Nebuchandnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God Whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if He doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.’” —Daniel 3:14-18 NLT
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” —Romans 15:13 NIV
Discussion Questions
Have you ever experienced your hope wandereing from one thing to the next looking for relief during a difficult season? What are some of the things you typically turn to?
In 1 Samuel 28:4-17, King Saul visits a medium to call up the spirit of Samuel in order to ask his advice before battle with the Philistines. In doing this, he was rebelling against God by doing something God had commanded them not to do. Has difficult or stressful times ever caused you to turn to something or do something you knew you shouldn’t? Why did you do it anyway? What did you learn from that experience?
Our hope tends to wander when we’re hurt. What is it about painful times that make it so tempting to put our hope in things that can’t sustain us? What are we really looking for when we turn to thigns other than God?
David in Psalm 119:49-50 and Paul in Romans 15:13 both remind us that our only source of hope is found where? How does knowing where our only true source of hope is found change how we repsond to difficulty and disappointment?
We said during the message that the level of our hope and joy and peace in life is linked to the level of our trust in God. What are some things you can do to deepen your level of trust in God?