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Listen With Faith

by Brett Fuller on May 18, 2020

How do we respond to bad news? In Samuel's early years, the Lord was bringing about a transition in the nation of Israel. Eli, who was the sitting priest, was coming to the end of his tenure. Because of Israel's disobedience, the Philistines were asserting their dominance over God's people. The latest battle had ended badly and the famous, "ark of the covenant" had been captured as a spoil of war.

When this, and other bad news came to Eli's pregnant daughter-in-law, she went into labor. Despondent, in 1 Samuel 4:21 she named her son Ichabod saying, "The glory of God has departed." In pinning this name on her newborn, she memorialized her own generation's failure and saddled the next generation with discouragement.

When we hear bad news, listen with faith and filter it through the filter of God's mercy and covenant keeping nature. Faith inspires us to out-live the moment and mark the next generation with hope rather than despair. Remember, bad news doesn't have to be last news! Live right, live well...