Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 8:19-20, Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
Psalm 37:4 tells us, “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Many Christians interpret that as being able to ask for whatever they desire, regardless of what it is. What we fail to acknowledge, or see, is that we are first to delight ourselves in the Lord. We also ignore the following verse, verse 5, that reads “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” When we fail to maintain an intimate relationship with Christ, we have a tendency to allow our fleshly desires drive our prayer requests. Israel made a big mistake in asking for a king. Yet, if we consider their history, it was not the request itself that was the mistake; it was their timing and their stubbornness in insisting that Samuel appoint a king over them, just so that they could be like other nations. In Deuteronomy 17:14-15, Moses said to Israel, while giving them the Law, “When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.” The Lord already knew that a time was coming when Israel would desire a king to rule over them, but His plan was to set a king over them in His time and give them a king that would be of His choosing. Instead, Israel chose a king for themselves, and the king they got was Saul, who was not a king after God’s own heart. Had they waited on God’s timing, the first king to rule over them would have been David, who was indeed a king after God’s own heart, and a king of God’s choosing (1 Samuel 16:1). Like with Israel, there are things in God’s plan for our lives that He wants to give us, and accomplish through us. When we fail to maintain a prayerful and intimate relationship with the Lord, our desires, and His desires for us, become unaligned. The result is that we end up wanting that which is not ours to have yet. We begin to insist on receiving it, and often fall for the “name it, claim it” heresy, and go after things that we have no business going after. We go after things that ruin our walk with the Lord, relationships with others, and our own lives. Rather than be content with such things as we have (Hebrews 13:5), we become bitter and disheartened, and drift further and further away from the Lord. Our covetousness drives us to grasp that which God has planned for us, but not for the immediate. When it comes to God’s timing, He is perfect (as He is in all things). We must remind ourselves that God does not operate on our clock. 2 Peter 3:8 clearly tells us, “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 also says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven”, and God knows exactly when we will walk through those seasons with Him. Finally, Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Israel showed a lack of trust in the Lord to lead them, even though He proved Himself to them over and over. They failed to acknowledge Him because of the behavior of the human leaders in place. Their hard-heartedness and their stiff necks caused them to want what they wanted, regardless of what Samuel or God said to them in trying to reason with them. Are we this unreasonable when we set our hearts on something that God has obviously not chosen for us? Do we pray for the desires of our hearts, and then wait for the Lord’s response, being ready to be satisfied with whatever His answer will be? When all is said and done, whatever God chooses for us right now is exactly what is best for us. We must stop focusing on what everyone else has and what God is allowing in someone else’s life, and just focus on being content with whatever God chooses for our life and service to Him. It may require waiting on Him, and His timing, to receive the things we desire. Oftentimes, He has not said “no” yet, but has simply said, “Not yet.” If we wait on Him, instead of going after what we think is good for us, He will eventually give us what He knows is best for us.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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