A Faithful Priest

One of our former "faithful priests"
Last night, our congregation took an historic vote that will change the process the church has traditionally followed in looking for a pastor. A new chapter has begun and new chapters bring challenges with them.

Which was why I decided this morning to stay in 1 Samuel 2 instead of moving on to the next chapter. As I opened my Bible this morning, my eye caught a verse I had underlined at the end of the chapter. It SO spoke to me.

The boy Samuel is now in residence in the Tabernacle. God is unhappy with Israel's spiritual leadership. Eli is an old man who can't control his sons. Those two men are abusing their mandate as priests and God has warned Eli that He will not tolerate His name and reputation being trampled underfoot. He makes this announcement:

"I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always" (1 Samuel 2:35, NIV).

Now, I don't believe God is displeased with our leadership or our process, so I make no comparisons with our current situation and that of Israel's. What encourages me is that regardless of the process or the people involved in it, God has made a commitment to the church, His body. My task now, and that of the rest of the congregation, is to agree with God that we need a "faithful priest" who will do what God wants, and then to pray for that man daily.

And because we believe in the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9), we need to pray that we too will be faithful and willing to do and be what God asks of us. No process or structural change will ever beat that formula for a healthy church.

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