TELL ME GOD’S PLAN
Sarah Sloan
Today's Scripture: “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 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.’” 1 Samuel 8:4-5, ESV
Theme: Just like the children of Israel, we often ask someone else to tell us God’s plan for our lives rather than listening to God and letting Him rule and lead us Himself.
QUICK AND EASY
Our world is moving at a million miles a minute. Everything comes at us so fast. It often feels as though if you aren’t moving at a breakneck speed of constant physical and mental motion that you are being left behind. FOMO (“fear of missing out”) is a real thing. We feel deeply that we need to be a part of what everyone else is doing and, if we aren’t, then we’re doing it wrong.
In so many ways, we are so similar to the Israelites in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel, we see that the Israelites were once again choosing convenience and counterfeit over a quality relationship with God. They had been allowing God to guide and lead them. Yet, when they looked at the nations around them (who had earthly rulers and royalty), they felt like they were missing out. They desired quick and easy answers. They wanted to be culturally relevant. They had serious FOMO when they saw how other nations were doing things.
REJECTING GOD AS KING
God’s way wasn’t enough. It didn’t fit the cultural norms. And to be honest, hearing from God took too much time, effort, and patience. I am also sure the Israelites felt that God’s answers and requirements were in opposition to their own desires. Instead, they wanted a human king that they could see, that they could reason (and argue) with, and who was changeable and malleable. It takes faith to follow an unseen, all-powerful King.
Over the years the motivation of their hearts had changed. They no longer wanted to hear from God. In doing so, they exchanged intimacy with the living God for ease and conformity.
MAKING ROOM FOR GOD
Personally, I know how hard it can be for me to find the head space and the heart space to sit in silence and to pursue God. Hearing His voice and discerning His leading and direction can sometimes feel like I am wasting valuable time or like I am hearing nothing at all. It’s hard to know exactly where God is leading or what He’s saying. It takes patience. It takes spending time in the Word. It takes seeking God in prayer. And it takes a willingness to agree to and obey whatever it is God reveals.
In Matthew we are instructed to, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7, ESV). These are action words that require us to participate in pursuing God and His guidance. When faced with uncertainty, it can be so easy to seek the advice and guidance of friends, family members, and culture at large, but these can never replace the voice of the Lord Himself. We must “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, ESV) and be willing to slow down enough to hear God’s still quiet voice.
These are not things that we have been trained to do. Being still, waiting patiently…are painful. And yet our Father longs for a deep and abiding relationship with us. He longs for intimacy with us and He yearns for us to experience abundant life.
Make it personal: God wants what is best for you. He has an amazing plan for your life. He says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV). The process of finding God’s will for your life is truly an invitation into deeper intimacy with Him. He longs for you to seek Him as much as He longs to reveal Himself to you. Take time today to sit quietly with God. Ask Him to reveal your next steps and be willing to listen and obey.
Pray: God, I want to come to You first, before I seek anyone else’s advice or opinions. I want to be willing to sit with You in silence, to know You better and to hear Your voice. Help still my soul and create in me a new longing for You. I want to seek Your face. Help me to lay aside my will in order for me to obey You. Lead and help me to grow deeper in my relationship with You. Amen.
Read: Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:9, Psalm 119:105, 34:4-5
Weekly Memory Verse: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV