Today we're beginning a series of sermons in which we'll look at the messages of some of the great prophets from the Bible. Some of these prophets like Samuel are pretty well known, others like Micah may be familiar to only a few, but all of them have powerful messages of faithfulness that speak not only to the Israelites many centuries ago, for they are messages of faithfulness which are meant to speak to us today as well.

Samuel lived a life of service to the Lord from the very beginning. As he grew up he sought to be faithful in things both great and small. When Samuel was still a boy, God called to him in a vision, and from that time on people began to know Samuel as a prophet of the Lord, for God often used Samuel to convey His Word to the people of Israel.

For many years Israel was ruled by leaders that they called judges. These were national heroes who came to be leaders of Israel. As the name implied, people would often come to them, seeking their judgement as to what was right and what was wrong. In that tradition of judges, Samuel ruled Israel for many years. His leadership was wise and one which called the people to renewed faithfulness in their relationship with God.

But as Samuel grew old, the people of Israel became restless. They were uncertain as to what the future held - primarily who would lead them into the future. In country after country in that area of the world they saw people led by kings, and so they approached Samuel and asked that he appoint a king to rule over them. In some way they felt that a king would provide security for them through the years ahead.

Reluctantly Samuel accedes to their request. He knows that a king is not the answer that they are looking for. The people should be looking to God for guidance, not to a king. He knows that they are unsure of the future. They are afraid of the leaders of some of the countries around them. So they have decided that a change in leadership will solve all of their problems.

Samuel reminds the people that he has served them faithfully and well. In the past, the key issue for them has not been who their leader is, rather the key issue has been whether or not they are faithful in following God. In the same way, the key for their future is not whether or not they have a king, rather as Samuel reminds them, the real key is their faithfulness or lack of faithfulness in their relationship with God.

That's been the central issue for the Israelite people throughout their history. For a while they would faithfully serve God, but then gradually the people would be seduced into worshiping some of the many false gods that abounded in that area of the world. They would start to worship Baal or Astarte or one of the others, and sooner or later disaster would strike, because of their lack of faithfulness.

If they are unfaithful, a king will not be able to save them. Their unfaithfulness will cause pain and grief and suffering, just as it has many times in the past. If they are faithful, they won't need a king, for it is their faithfulness that will see them through.

Samuel is reminding them that they are looking in the wrong place for their answer. The central issue for the Israelites is whether their chosen leader is a judge or a king, but Samuel reminds them that the central issue is really whether or not they are being led by God. If the people truly acknowledge God's Lordship in their lives and seek to follow faithfully, then it will not matter who their leader is and by what name they call him. And, if the people of Israel are unfaithful to God, no human leader, whatever his or her title might be, can save them.

Samuel understood that time after time the Israelite people discovered that faithfulness to God brought them success, while disobedience brought disaster. Once again he reminds them that that is still the key in their lives.

If we think about Samuel's message and how it might apply t our lives, I find that there is much we can identify with in the example of the Israelites. We too tend to be a fickle people. Just look at the worship patterns in our congregation or in any other in our community. There are people who come just at Christmas and Easter. There are others who come sporadically. It is certainly predictable that in the summer our attendance will be much less than it is the rest of the year. Yet our need to worship God is not less in the summer, or when we have other priorities.

When things are going well in our lives, it's easy to forget about God. We get preoccupied with other things, and start to assume that the success is all our own doing. When things get difficult we either turn from God in anger, feeling that God has abandoned us, or we turn back to God seeking help and hope.

Along the way there are many times when we forget to keep God at the center of our lives. There are many times when our faith takes a back seat to other concerns, when we are seduced into thinking that something else is more important in our lives than following God's will.

That seems to me to be exactly what happened to the Israelite people. And every time it happened to them it brought disaster. In many ways, the same thing is true for us. When we fail to keep God in the center of our lives, then we lose sight of what is really important, we lose track of who we really are - and of whose we are. In other words, we no longer really know ourselves and who we are meant to be. Our lives have lost their center, for we are no longer centered on God. Instead we drift, looking for meaning and purpose in all the wrong places.

Once we Lose track of God as our center, life is so much more difficult. The challenges are so much tougher, because we no longer find the strength coming from God to see us through. The joys in life seem so much more fleeting, because we do not experience the power of God's joy mingled with ours.

Donna Atwood tells this story from England back during World War II: "During the terrible days of the Blitz, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as soon as possible, the father jumped into the hold and held up his arms for his son to follow.

"Terrified, yet hearing his father's voice telling him to jump, the boy replied ‘I can't see you!'

"The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, ‘But I can see you. Jump!'

"The boy jumped, because he trusted his father."

Samuel remind the Israelite people - and he reminds us as well - that that is how we are called to live. We are called to live as people who trust God, and who trustingly follow wherever God leads. Sometimes we won't be able to clearly see where we're going. We'll have doubts and times where we won't understand why this is the path for us. But through it all we are called to trust in God, to trust that God knows what is best, and the God knows the way there for us, even when we don't!

Amen.