The Choice

“Samuel was displeased with their request, and he went to the Lord for guidance.” (I Samuel 8:6)

There are certain things in this life that are inevitable.  Certainties that we can’t avoid, or altar.  One of the biggest ones is that people and circumstances will disappoint us, irritate us, displease us, and frustrate us.  When these people and events exasperate us, we have two options.  We can react or we can respond.

Samuel was Israel’s prophet.  He had led the people, judged the people, preached to the people, prayed for the people.  His fine leadership had resulted in the Philistine forces being vanquished without any weapon being lifted in defense or any attack (I Samuel 7:5-10).  A stone of remembrance was set up to signify God’s goodness to Israel during his time of leadership.  Samuel had done his best – and his best had been good.

But when Samuel grew old, the leaders of Israel decided they wanted to put poor Sam out to pasture and replace him with a new leader.  Just not a leader chosen by God.  No, they wanted a king, like the other nations had.  Samuel knew it was God who wanted to be their king, so when the leaders came to Samuel with their request, he was immediately and understandably unhappy and angry.  Reaction!  Same reaction we all would have had if we had been in his place.  Same reaction we all most likely have when people and circumstances disappoint and irritate us.

But here’s the thing.  Samuel didn’t dwell in those emotions.  Instead, he chose something better than a reaction.  Samuel chose a response.  And his response was to go to the Lord in prayer.  Samuel disapproved of the plan the people had come up with, so he went to the Lord to seek His counsel and intervention.  And the Lord told Samuel that it was HE the people were rejecting – not Samuel.  He told Samuel to warn the people about what a king would do to them.  And Samuel obeyed and gave the people the Lord’s warning.  But God’s warning went unheeded, and the people demanded a king anyway.  At that point the Lord answered Samuel and said, “Listen to them and give them a king.” (I Samuel 8:21).  I am sure that answer surprised Samuel, but he obeyed the Lord and anointed Saul the first king of Israel.

People and circumstance can drive us straight up a wall.  And as we’re scaling that wall, our emotions can run wild.  That, my friend is our reaction.  A reaction that comes from the feelings that rage in our human nature.  But once we allow ourselves to stop and think, we too, like Samuel, will realize there is a better way, a godly choice, to handle the frustrations and irritations this life hands us.  That is by choosing to respond with prayer and the seeking of God’s will – even if sometimes God’s answer isn’t what we thought it might be.  The choice is ours.

                                               Darlene