When You Keep Mourning, but God Has Moved On
I’ve always been amazed at the story of Samuel, God and King Saul. Why? After Saul had sinned against God (see 1 Samuel 13), God and Samuel were displeased with him. And again, Saul disobeyed God and God rejected him and decided to replace him. But, Samuel continued to mourn for Saul and God had long moved on. What are you mourning over that God has long moved on from?
If you read 1 Samuel 13: 7-14, that was the catalyst of Saul’s kingdom being torn from his hands. And 1 Samuel 15: 10-35 lays out God totally rejecting him for his disobedience.
It was disobedience of why Saul lost his kingdom. Obedience is very important to God.
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
”
And, because of Saul’s disobedience, God swiftly turned away from him, and had already decided to put David in his place. God got tired of Samuel’s mourning and you can sense it in 1 Samuel 16:1.
“The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.””
God moves on quickly to find people who are after His own heart and mission, people who are obedient, and people who want to be used by Him. When He finds such people He gives them favor by elevating them to new heights.
Are you looking back at an old flame, hoping they’ll come back to you? Maybe God is saying: “how long will you mourn for this person. I have rejected them for you. Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I’m sending you onward. I am directing you to someone better.”
Are you holding out on for that friend or family member that keeps letting you down? Maybe God is saying: “how long will your mourn for this person to be who you hope they will be? Put some boundaries up or totally let them go because where I’m taking you, they can’t be a part of the picture or must be kept at a distance in your life.”
Life is all about choices. You’ve got to decide if you’re going to continue to mourn over things that God has clearly let go of. Let go and lay hold to the future and promises that God has for your life.
Happy Friday! xo