Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, because I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ And you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.”
When attempting to solve a problem, one of the first steps is prioritizing what’s next. This can be an easy answer sometimes but when challenges, pushbacks, and unknown factors are involved, it can hard to discern the next step. As Samuel grieved the sin of Saul, God drew his attention and showed him how to move forward. Instead of letting him stay in a cloud of grief and disappointment, God guided Samuel to see the next step. God helped Samuel move forward, even when the future seemed unclear.
As we follow the Lord, we may not know all the future will hold, but He will always be faithful to guide us to the next step. He can take even the most broken pieces and put them together to make something beautiful. When we follow His direction, life may not always make sense and we still will face disappointment when we hit difficult moments, but He will continue to guide us like He did Samuel. Psalm 121:1-4 says, “I will raise my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; he who watches over you will not slumber. Behold, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we can look to God for direction, and He will lead and walk with us through good times and bad.
- When have you struggled with your next step after facing difficulty? What did you do?
- How has God guided you when you were struggling to see what was next?
- Pray and ask God to be near to a friend who is struggling with what to do next.
