Prophecy isn't the problem. Absence is.

By Wanda Alger, Op-ed contributor Tuesday, August 18, 2026

There is something about Samuel’s story that feels especially relevant for the Church right now.

Scripture records that during that time, “the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision” (1 Samuel 3:1 ESV).

When Samuel first came on the scene, the house of God was in trouble. Eli’s sons were abusing their priestly position, treating the offerings of the Lord with contempt, and engaging in blatant immorality. The structures of worship were still in place, but something far more important had been lost.

The fear of the Lord was missing.

Scripture tells us that during this same period, “the word of the Lord was rare.” Perhaps these two realities are more connected than we realize.

In a generation filled with information, opinions, messages, and voices claiming to know what God is saying, we are desperate for clarity. But perhaps the answer is not simply more information or even better discernment. Perhaps God is calling us back to the one place where everything else finds its proper order: His presence.

Samuel cherished what others took for granted

In the middle of the corruption surrounding Eli’s house, Samuel was learning to minister before the Lord. Scripture tells us that he was sleeping “in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was” (1 Samuel 3:3). The ark represented the place of God’s presence.

While others had become careless with holy things, Samuel was being formed by them. While Eli’s sons used their position for personal gain, Samuel was learning to wait before the Lord.

He cherished what others had taken for granted.

And it was there that God called his name. “Samuel! Samuel!”

His eventual response would characterize his entire life: “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9).

Something shifted.

Where the Word of the Lord had been rare, God began speaking again. Eventually Scripture records: “And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord” (1 Samuel 3:21).

Then the Lord appeared again.

Samuel changed the storyline, not because he was chasing revelation, but because he was pursuing God. In an atmosphere polluted by compromise, he revered something higher and far more powerful than the allure of sin. He treasured the presence of the Lord.

And from that hidden place, the fear of the Lord began to return.

The fear of the Lord is formed in His presence

This pattern continues throughout Scripture.

Isaiah did not begin with a message. He began with an encounter: “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:1).

Standing before the holiness of God changed Isaiah’s perspective of everything — including himself. “Woe is me!” was his immediate response. Before he received a commission, he experienced conviction and cleansing. Only then did he hear, “Whom shall I send?”

Jeremiah reveals the same priority when God confronts the false prophets: “For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and to hear his word?” (Jeremiah 23:18).

And then: “But if they had stood in My council, then they would have proclaimed My words to My people, and they would have turned them from their evil way” (Jeremiah 23:22).

God’s indictment was not simply that these prophets had spoken incorrectly.

They had not stood in His council. They were speaking without first standing before Him.

This principle applies far beyond prophetic ministry. If we want to hear God clearly, discern His purposes, understand His Word, and represent Him faithfully, we must learn to stand in His presence. The fear of the Lord cannot be manufactured through religious activity. It comes when we actually encounter the holiness, majesty, goodness, and authority of God. When we see Him rightly, everything else is brought into perspective.

We need more than the removal of Eli’s sons

There has been necessary exposure and cleansing taking place in the Body of Christ. But removing the “sons of Eli” is only part of the answer.

God must raise up the Samuels.

The Church needs men and women who love His presence more than platforms, His approval more than recognition, and His voice more than the opinions of the crowd. Not simply prophets.

Believers. People who have learned to tend the altar when no one is watching. People who enter the secret place not merely to get an answer, receive a revelation, or obtain direction, but because they want to know God Himself.

From the beginning, God’s desire has been to dwell among His people: “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:8).

His presence was always the priority. And when Israel wandered from Him, God sent prophets not merely to provide supernatural information, but to call His people back to Himself.

That was Samuel’s message: “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart … direct your heart to the Lord and serve Him only” (1 Samuel 7:3).

The man who had learned to dwell in God’s presence was now calling an entire nation back to Him. That is what the fear of the Lord does. It turns our attention away from ourselves, our idols, our ambitions, and our distractions and puts God back in His rightful place.

The weight of His presence

Centuries after Samuel’s death, God still remembered him alongside Moses as one who could “stand before” Him on behalf of the people (Jeremiah 15:1).

That says something significant about Samuel’s legacy. Yes, Samuel heard God accurately. Scripture tells us the Lord “let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19). But Samuel was remembered for more than accurate words.

He had learned to stand before God

His authority was not merely in what he said. There was a weight on his life that had been formed in the presence of the Lord. This may be one of the greatest needs of the Church in this hour.

We have many words. We have endless information. We have gifted communicators, influential platforms, and immediate access to countless sermons, teachings, predictions, and opinions.

But where is the weight? Where is that unmistakable evidence of someone who has been with God?

There is purity, sobriety, and a holy restraint that comes from His presence. There is a fear of the Lord that cannot be manufactured through charisma, gifting, education, or eloquence. It is formed when someone has spent enough time before God to remember who He is — and who we are not.

This should certainly mark those who claim to speak prophetically. But it should also mark pastors, teachers, parents, business leaders, public officials, and every follower of Jesus. Before we concern ourselves with speaking for God, we must learn to stand before Him.

A call back to the altar

If the fear of the Lord is going to return to the Church — and ultimately impact our nation — it must begin with a people who return to His presence. This will not happen primarily through another conference, strategy, platform, or public campaign. It begins in hidden places where believers shut out the noise and turn their attention toward God.

May God raise up a generation with the heart of Samuel — those who cherish the secret place, tremble at His Word, honor His holiness, and wait before Him long enough to know His heart.

Perhaps then a watching world will encounter something it desperately needs: A people who have truly been with God.