Word of Encouragement (08/29/2023)
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. (1 Sam. 8:4-6)
We can see why Samuel prayed to the LORD. The elders of Israel demanded a king. Samuel, who was Israel’s judge at that time, felt rejected. He must have felt betrayed and hurt. He had served them faithfully all these years, from his childhood. They gave a perfunctory nod to his faithful and blameless service, but they used it only to criticize his sons: “...your sons do not walk in your ways.” Maybe the pain was great because what they said was not false. Yes, he was getting old. Yes, his sons did not walk in his way. This was a matter of deep personal pain to him. To have it used against him was profoundly hurtful.
What could Samuel do in such a time? He prayed to the LORD, pouring out all the pain and anger and sorrow he felt. What a blessing it is to have someone to go to in such a time and for that person to be none other than the almighty God! Most of the time, all that the other person can do is just listen to us, allowing us to vent and cry in sympathetic silence, not knowing what to say to comfort or to solve the problem. Even that can be a source of huge help. But when we come to God, we come to the almighty and all-wise God, to whom all our troubles are no trouble at all.
How did God respond to Samuel’s prayer? He reminded him that this was not about him but about Him: “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (v. 7). Samuel might have expected God to be on his side and tell him to deliver the words of God’s wrath to the elders. If not, he would have appreciated it if God recognized his sense of pain and comforted him. But God did not coddle Samuel’s self-pity. Instead, He jolted him out of it, directed his attention to God, and compelled him to see that God was the offended Party here. Samuel was not Israel’s king; he was just a servant of God, who was the true King of Israel. Yet, He commanded him to listen to the elders and grant them their request! What a shocking thing to witness. Seeing this, how could he complain about what happened?
I hope that you are encouraged to pray to the Lord. Even when everyone betrays and abandons you, God will be there for you, ready to listen while you pour out your heart to Him. Do not suffer alone as if God did not care about you and your concerns. He cared about you enough to sacrifice His only begotten Son for your salvation. Would He neglect you and dismiss your concerns? Never!
But when you come to Him, be ready to receive His answer. He may not tell you what you want to hear and give you what you want. But He will give you what you need, and you will be glad that He did. For His ways are always better than our ways. Often, His answer may simply be, “This is not about you; it’s about Me.” That will free you from yourself and bring you the kind of perspective you need to have true peace.