Day 131

1 Samuel 10:1‐11:15; John 6:43‐71; Psalm 107:1‐43; Proverbs 15:1‐3

Rejecting God’s Provision

But now you have rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, “No, appoint a king over us.” – 1 Samuel 10:19

I don’t know about you but when I read those words, I hurt for the people of Israel because they do not know what they are asking. I also hurt for the United States of America, who seems of late to be uttering those very words to the God of the Universe. It seems that too often God has become the proverbial party piñata. The piñata serves no purpose until party time when kids need one more thing to do, so we take a stick and hit it until candy comes pouring out. Likewise, we go to God when we need blessings to come pouring out and when they come we rejoice, but an hour later we have forgotten from whom the blessings flowed. We put Him aside until another tragedy occurs and then we ask, “Where is God in all of this?”

Don’t we remember? He is right where we have placed Him—outside of our schools, outside of our courtrooms, outside of our homes, and even outside of our hearts. There is a great lesson to be learned in reading the story of Saul and his kingship. God granted the people’s request for a king, although they had rejected Him, yet the king could not fill the void where ultimately God was to fit. He so wants to be our Lord and our God but we would rather place our desire for money, nice cars, bigger houses, and a plethora of other things on the throne of our heart…hoping and even praying that God would bless them for our sake.

The real question for you today is, Who resides as King in your life?  If you answer Yahweh-GOD, then I commend you but ask the next important question. Do you LIVE as though He is your King?

Prayer: Lord, I pray that I would not trade desires of the world for the things that you desire of us. I pray you keep me ever mindful of the times I reject you as King and bring me back to you. “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.” AMEN.

The Rev. Wes Sharp