SUFFERING OFTEN COMES FROM GETTING WHAT WE ASK FOR
Samuel had led Israel well his whole life, but now he was old and his sons weren’t men of integrity like him. So, the Israelites went to Samuel asking him to give them a king like the other nations had. Of course, he felt rejected. He had served them well. It’s hard for the messenger not to feel rejection when the message is rejected. When he lifted it up to the Lord in prayer, the Lord comforted him saying, “They are rejecting me, not you.” And the Lord told him to warn them about having a king, and if they still asked for it, to give them one. Samuel obeyed the Lord. He warned them about asking for a human king, but they refused to listen. So, he gave them what they asked for. And all of God’s warnings came to pass.
This is often how we find ourselves in a season of suffering. As the cliche goes, “Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it.” The Lord sends his servants to warn us about the dangers of rejecting Him as King, but we are determined to have our own way. Then, when suffering comes, we blame God. When in reality, we have gotten what we asked for. Some have called this God’s judicial abandonment, wherein He allows sinners to reap what they have sown. As the apostle Paul wrote, “God abandoned them to their shameful desires” (Rom. 1:26). He let them have what they asked for and with it came suffering.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we confess that we often ask for things that are not according to Your will. We pray today as Jesus did, not my will but yours be done. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We bow our knees to King Jesus and declare Him Lord over all of our wants and desires. We want what He wants for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.