How do you handle the “no” word?

1Sam 8 to 10 When you face rejection, what do you do; how do you feel; what is your response? Samuel was such a man. Called by God to lead the people spiritually but rejected because the people did not look with their spiritual eyes. They only saw his son’s faithlessness. True, Samuel did not learn from Eli’s failure, but God is sovereign, and He can change hearts just as He chose to do in the heart of Saul…but we are getting ahead in our story. 

In this time of grief, Samuel responded by going to God in prayer. In that time of quiet, Samuel heard these words: Samuel, they are not rejecting you, but Me! Samuel’s broken heart is comforted, and he hears; go and give them what they want. How often do we not what God wants, but what we want? How often do we only feel our own rejection, but not God’s?  

Samuel anoints Saul and warns the nation of the consequence of their choices…but, like us, they turn a deaf ear. We do the same more often than we want to admit. Saul’s heart is transformed so he can lead the people in His way. Will he? Stay tuned.

One broken heart is comforted by God. One heart is transformed by God.   Where are you in this story?