1 Samuel 8: 18-22 - When that day comes, you
will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not
answer you in that day." But the
people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they
said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the
other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before
us and fight our battles." When Samuel heard all that the people said, he
repeated it before the LORD. The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." Then Samuel said to the men of
Israel, "Everyone go back to his town."
Samuel had gotten old…and the sons he
appointed to judge in his place did not follow God’s ways. They were corrupt and evil…prodding the
leaders of Israelites to look around and covet the towns around them that were
ruled by kings. They saw the other towns as more successful…so they asked
Samuel to appoint them a king too! Samuel was so upset…not just because his own
sons had behaved so badly…but because he knew in his heart all the people had
abandoned the God he loved so much. He went straight to God to pray about their
request…and God told him to just let them have their way…but to warn them of
all the problems a king would bring them in time.
It is amazing to me that the people
listened to the long list of things they would have to give up to have a king…and
decided in the end to have Samuel appoint a king for them. They did not want to
live with God anymore…the world had infiltrated their souls to the point that
they wanted to be like everyone else.
Satan had convinced them that a king would bring order and restore God
to their life…but in reality …out of the 41 kings they had over a period of 450
years…only 7 even tried to follow God’s laws….and 7 of those left God
completely out of their lives at the end of their reign.
I can’t help but think that the Christians
of today are in exactly the same boat.
We grow impatient with God’s plan…that sometimes makes us wait for his
perfect timing….when we ask him for things that we think we need. He tries to warn us …tell us that isn’t what
he wants for us….but our selfish hearts just ignore his loving urges to wait
and we run ahead of him. Most of the
time we make some pretty big messes….that delay our blessings even longer.
Considering that the average life expectancy of Americans is around 75 years…we
are in big trouble if God makes us wait 450 years like the Israelites.
Samuel could not make choices for the people of Israel any
more than we can make choices for those we are called to love. What we can do is look to Samuel’s great
heart of love and follow his example…and lift up the many needs and bad choices
we see people make every day to God. For me… the hard part is hearing God say…it’s
okay...let them do what they wish….then having to sit back and watch them destroy
pieces of themselves. Maybe that is that
way Samuel felt…as he pronounced to them that God said it was okay for them to
have a king.
I have to remember daily that God is in control…and he gave
us free will. But this story does remind me how important it is to lift up all
those around me…because my prayers are powerful tools in changing the hearts of
those that have rejected him….God can soften that heart…and in fact already
knows which ones will be melted...and the moment it will happen. Prayer….and
patient waiting…and more prayer…and more patient waiting…and more prayer. Maybe
that’s one of the reasons God put that verse in the Bible about praying without
ceasing in Thessalonians 5:17…and then there is that great verse in Ephesians
6:18…And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of
prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying
for all the Lord's people.
Father…keep teaching me how to pray like
the great men and women of old….for only if we turn our lost and rebellious
friends over to you….and intercede and ask you to keep seeking to live in their
hearts…so you can melt their heart….can they come to know you and live with you
everyday. Show me which ones to pray for
…and place even the words I need to say in my mouth…so they can make the
choices you have in mind for them…so you can start showing them the plans you
have for them…plans to prosper…plans to help them be the best they can be. Amen.
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