Day 29 — Samuel Grew

“And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.”

— 1 Samuel 2:26 (BSB)

Samuel was just a little boy when his mother, Hannah, brought him to live at the house of God and serve with Eli the priest. She had prayed for years for a son, and she promised that her son would serve God his whole life.

So Samuel grew up in God’s house. And the Bible says he “continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.”

That’s interesting, because Samuel was growing up in a tough spot. Eli’s own sons were priests too, but they were wicked men. They stole from the offerings people brought to God and did other terrible things. They didn’t care about God at all.

Samuel could have followed their example. But he didn’t. While Eli’s sons were going the wrong way, Samuel just kept quietly growing, serving God faithfully, day after day. Later, God spoke to Samuel directly, and he became one of the greatest prophets and leaders in Israel’s history.

Look at the two kinds of growth the verse mentions:

“In stature.” Samuel was growing up physically. He got taller and stronger, just like you are.

“In favor with the LORD and with man.” He was also growing on the inside: in his friendship with God and in how people saw him. He was becoming someone God was pleased with, and someone people respected and trusted.

Does that sound familiar? Luke says almost the exact same thing about Jesus when He was a boy: He “grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

Growing up isn’t just about getting bigger. It’s about becoming the kind of man God designed you to be. Your body will grow on its own. But growing in character, wisdom and faith takes choices, every day.

Samuel grew in a hard place, surrounded by bad examples, but he kept growing in the right direction. You can too, no matter what’s around you.

A true story: William Carey was a poor shoemaker in England. He had left school early to work, but while he mended shoes, he taught himself languages from books propped up on his workbench. He hung a hand-drawn map of the world on his wall and prayed for all the people who had never heard of Jesus. He said, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” Then he sailed to India and stayed there for forty years, helping translate the Bible into dozens of languages. He kept growing and working, one word at a time. You can read his whole story in Brave for God.

Think about it: Besides growing taller, how are you growing? Are you growing in favor with God and with people?

Try this: Write down one way you want to grow in each area: your body, your friendship with God and how you treat people.

Dear God, I want to grow like Samuel did, not just in size, but in favor with You and with people. Even when there are bad examples around me, help me keep growing in the right direction. Make me into the man You designed me to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.