A devotional reflection on 1 Samuel 28
There are moments in life when silence feels unbearable.
The phone doesn’t ring.
The prayer goes unanswered.
The future feels dangerous and unknown.
It is in moments like these that the ancient story of Saul in 1 Samuel 28 becomes painfully modern.
A king in the dark
By the time we reach this chapter, Saul is a deeply lonely man. The prophet Samuel—the voice of God in his life—is dead. The Philistines are massing for war. Saul seeks God, but hears nothing: no dreams, no prophets, no word.
Silence terrifies him more than the enemy.
So Saul does something unthinkable. He disguises himself and travels by night to a forbidden place—Endor—to consult a medium. The irony is sharp: Saul had once outlawed such practices. Now, in desperation, he becomes what he once condemned.
What Saul wants is simple: certainty.
What God wants is deeper: repentance and trust.
When Samuel appears and speaks, the message is not comforting. Saul’s kingdom is ending. The battle will be lost. Saul and his sons will die. Saul collapses—not just from fear, but from the crushing realization that seeking another voice did not save him from the truth.
Why forbidden voices feel so comforting
Most people do not turn to psychics, mediums, or spiritual substitutes because they are rebellious. They turn because they are hurting.
Loneliness.
Grief.
Fear.
A longing to hear something when heaven feels quiet.
Psychic practices promise immediate answers and emotional relief. They offer the illusion of control in a world that feels cruel and unstable. They say, You don’t have to wait. You don’t have to sit with the silence.
But the Bible is clear—and consistent—about these practices. They are forbidden not because God is harsh, but because they bypass relationship. They offer information without transformation, reassurance without repentance, comfort without truth.
Saul did not need new knowledge.
He needed a new heart.
The hard gift of God’s silence
God’s silence in Scripture is never meaningless. It is not abandonment. It is invitation.
Silence creates space:
- For honesty instead of performance
- For repentance instead of control
- For trust instead of shortcuts
Waiting on God is not passive resignation. It is active faith—choosing to remain present, prayerful, and open even when answers do not come.
Saul could not endure that space. So he filled it with another voice.
And that choice marked the final unraveling of his life.
A better way forward
The story of Saul is not meant to make us afraid—it is meant to make us wise.
When God feels silent:
- We are invited to lament, not escape
- To pray honestly, not secretly
- To wait faithfully, not desperately
Christians are not called to mock those who seek psychics or alternate spiritual voices. We are called to respond with compassion and truth. Before correcting beliefs, we listen for the pain underneath. Before speaking doctrine, we offer presence.
Psychics promise answers.
God promises Himself.
The gospel does not remove mystery, but it gives us a Savior who enters it with us. We do not consult the dead, because the Living One has conquered death. We do not need hidden knowledge, because in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
A closing prayer
Lord,
When You are silent, teach us not to run.
When fear presses in, teach us to wait.
When other voices call to us, remind us that You alone are faithful.
Give us courage to trust You in the quiet
and grace to sit with You until morning comes.
Amen.
The Curious Pilgrims 