29/07/2026
*CHRISTIAN PENTECOSTAL MISSION INT’L*
*FRESH MANNA DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE*
*WEDNESDAY 29TH JULY, 2026.*
*BRING BACK THE GLORY (1)*
*1 SAMUEL 4:10-22.*
And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.
14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?
17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
21 And she named the child I–chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.
22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.
*MEDITATION SCRIPTURE:*
*"And she named the child Ichabod, saying. The glory is departed from Israel. .."I Samuel 4:21*
There is no greater tragedy than the departure of God's glory. In Israel's history, the Ark of the Covenant symbolized God’s manifest presence among His people. But due to spirit negligence, disobedience, and misplaced confidence in rituals over relationship, the Ark was captured, and Israel was left exposed. Ichabod *"the glory has departed”* became the painful summary of that season. Many lives, families, churches, and even nations carry signs of Ichabod today, not because God is weak, but because His presence has been disregarded. When form replaces fellowship, when sin is tolerated and truth is compromised, the glory lifts.
Eli's sons treated holy things with contempt, and Eli himself failed to restrain them. The result was defeat, death, and disgrace. But the story doesn't end in Ichabod. God desires to dwell among His people. He still seeks hearts that honor Him, temples that welcome His fire and leader who fear Him more than popularity. Revival begins when we recognize the absence of His glory and long for its return.
Do not settle for life without His glory. Let this first step be a cry of repentance and recognition. Lord, we have lost what mattered most, bring back the glory.
*TURNING POINT;*
*When God arises, every Pharaoh must bow. Your season of captivity will end in undeniable victory.*
*PRAYER:*
*Lord, I acknowledge where I have allowed compromise to steal your presence. Let my life never be labeled Ichabod. Restore to me the joy of your presence. Bring back the glory!*
*AUTHOR:*
REV. DR. MRS. MERCY EZEKIEL
*BIBLE READING:* PS.44, 45, 46; Acts.25.
