DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
“Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the Lord there.” (1 Samuel 1:3 nasb)
I’ll never forget that eventful night. We sat on the train at the Romanian border for two hours. Something seemed wrong. The train was taking too long to clear entrance into the country. The Romanian government was anti-Christian and persecuted believers severely. I was a little nervous.
I looked out the window and saw ten soldiers running toward the train. I said to the man next to me, “I think someone has problems.” What I didn’t know was that I was the “someone.” The soldiers came on the train, and one said firmly, “Mr. Tippit, come with me.”
That night was one of the loneliest of my life. As the train left the border station, I was surrounded by guards. I didn’t know what would happen. “Will I go to prison?” I asked myself. I figured I would never be allowed back into the country. My heart broke because I loved my Romanian friends so very much. But I knew I might never see them again.
That night I had no earthly power. I had no ability to escape my captors. As I stood and then sat among those soldiers, I began to weep. Then I looked toward heaven and saw the stars. The heavens began to scream, “Glory to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest!”
I joined with creation and began singing praises to God. I sang some hymns: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and “How Great Thou Art.” That night, I came to know God as Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. He is supreme ruler of the universe. He is the captain of the angelic forces in the heavenly places. None can compare to Him, because He is the Lord of hosts.
The prophet Samuel was probably the first who used this title for God. When Israel’s armies were few and feeble, and their enemies many and mighty, they came to know God as Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts. They came to know God as the Lord of hosts — of all the hosts, both of heaven and earth. He is the One who has a sovereign command over all the armies of heaven and earth. This title for God occurs 260 times in the Scriptures.
During our times of weakness, we come to know God as Jehovah Sabaoth. When we feel so small and our enemies so strong, God reveals Himself to us as Jehovah Sabaoth. In those overwhelming moments, we come to know Him as the Sovereign God who rules over all the armies of heaven. Draw near to Him in your day of weakness. He will be your strength, for He is truly Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts.
By the way, Jehovah Sabaoth eventually reopened the doors for me to return to Romania and proclaim the good news of His salvation.
1 Samuel : Chapter 1
1) There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite[a] from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2) He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. 3) Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4) Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5) But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6) Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7) This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8) Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 9) Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10) In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Contact: info@sammytippit.org
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