What God Desires

In our study of 1 Samuel, we have learned some valuable lessons on what faith looks like and what it doesn’t look like. Through the characters of Saul, Samuel, Jonathan and Hannah, we can see what God is looking for in terms of our faith. The message to Saul for example was clear, and that is he did not do what God desires. His attempts at pleasing God were half-hearted in that he only did some of what God had asked, and this is still a serious condition today, as some will attempt to only do a part of what God has asked and be fooled into thinking they have done what God has desired, just as king Saul.

The message that Samuel brought to Saul was clear in that his concern should have been to understand and practice what God desires! Even today this should be our primary goal in life. We should want what God wants, and by looking at characters such as Saul, we can observe and consider what keeps us from doing what God wants.

The one thing about Saul is that he was very much concerned about what others think. He was worried constantly about what the people thought of him and keeping up his image as king. It is the most likely reason he fashions a monument to himself after the battle with the Amalekites. The very battle in which he failed to do as God had asked! Do you see the lesson here for each of us? How many times do we set up a monument to ourselves albeit figuratively, thinking we have done the will of the Lord, but the truth is we have not?

God is looking for people who desire Him so that they obey Him. Sometimes we can see one aspect of this but not the other. We see some who say they desire God but do not do what God says. We see some who do not desire God but do what God says, but God wants both and Jesus validates this in Mark 12:30. He states that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Our concern must always be what God wants. We should regularly ask ourselves as we are making decisions in life, “what does God want? We can never underestimate the importance of doing what God wants. Let’s be always asking what God desires and look to His Word for answers. Let us understand and practice what God desires!            ~Eric