Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
CONTEXT
Samuel is getting old and his two sons are not Godly leaders like their father. The nation of Israel is asking Samuel to find a king to rule over them like all of the other nations have.
Bible Reading
And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.”
– 1 Samuel 8:1-7
Devotion
God had given the Israelites a provision in the law to ask for a king (Deut. 17:14-20), so there was nothing necessarily wrong in asking for a king. What was wrong was their attitude. The king was supposed to be a man of Yahweh’s choosing (Deut. 17:15) and was required to govern the people according to the principles of the Torah (17:18-20). The Israelites didn’t care about the criteria, and they didn’t realize that God was their true king (1 Samuel 8:8). They wanted a human king, NOW.
The Big Question
How often do we just “wing things” because other people are using or doing something, so we just follow along? We need to stop, slow down, pray and ask God for His wisdom and direction. Just because something is popular or works for people doesn’t mean that it is right for you. Ask God to show you any areas in which you have not included Him.
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.