Frankly, no image from this passage strikes me just the way Samuel laying in front of the ark does. What did you want most when you were 10 or 12? If you are anything like me, you craved comfort. Knowing your parent or guardian was right around the corner, being safe from all the sounds a house can make, and one's favorite blanket (maybe I'm channeling Linus from Peanuts fame). Somehow, I think Samuel craved the same things. And to be honest, what more comforting place could there be than the place where God is?
There is a danger in approaching this side of spirituality, the side of finding refuge in God. That danger is that our emotions can sometimes control our sense of spirituality. If we don't "feel it," then we are in a bad spiritual place or disobedient. When we do "feel it," then we are in a perfect place beyond reproach. And so we become dependent on our feelings to dictate our spiritual health. Emotions are important in spirituality, but not as a controlling force. To be honest, if I only laid down before the ark (took time to be with God and God alone) only when I felt like it, I wouldn't do it very often. And if I gauged my "quiet time" on my emotional satisfaction afterward, I would be a horrible Christian. I might be anyway, but it won't be my emotions that tell me that.
All in all, laying in front of the ark and desiring closeness with God is not about emotional highs and satisfaction, it is about a lifestyle of nearness with God. And if a 10 year old can cultivate that kind of nearness with God, I think I can too.
Agreed. On my best spiritual days, my imagination is filled with hope and wonder. On my worst days, my imagination is toxic and poised against me (see today's post).
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