WHEN YOU’RE ANGRY OR DISAPPOINTED WITH GOD…

In I Samuel 15, the story of Israel's first king - Saul - is continued.

His beginning was tough; when they looked for him to crown him king, he was found hiding in a pile of baggage. After a significant victory in leading Israel to defeat the Ammonites, Saul rallied his forces to take on the Philistines. He became impatient waiting for Samuel to arrive and make a sacrifice, so Saul built an altar and was making the sacrifice when Samuel arrived! Shocked at Saul's actions, Samuel said to him: "That was a fool thing to do...God is out looking for your replacement right now." [I Samuel 13:13-14 All quotes from The Message Bible unless otherwise noted].

Thanks to Jonathan's (Saul's son) intervention and initiative, Saul and the Israelites are able to defeat the Philistines - in spite of a number of bad judgments and decisions by Saul!

Next, Samuel told King Saul to lead his men against the Amalekites with specific instructions to kill ["utterly destroy"] "men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys - the works" [I Samuel 15:3]. But Saul does not kill the king and he allows his men to keep the best of the sheep and the cattle.

That's when God spoke to Samuel saying, "I'm sorry I ever made Saul king. He's turned his back on me. He refuses to do what I tell him" [v.11].

OBSERVE SAMUEL’S RESPONSE: “Samuel was angry when he heard this. He prayed his anger and disappointment all through the night. Then He got up early in the morning to confront Saul…” [vs.11-12]

This frequently read-over and typically ignored passage is actually amazingly instructive for us to read and heed!

Although the context isn’t perfectly clear, it appears that Samuel is frustrated that God is giving up on Saul. As God’s spokesperson, Samuel has to carry God’s messages and deliver them! Confronting a king can be a dangerous thing to do!

But Samuel is wise! He spends an entire night praying through his feelings and fears. By morning, he seems to have settled the matter with God and goes to deliver a message to Saul that Saul definitely DOESN’T WANT TO HEAR!

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Have you been angry with God?

Have you felt that He’s let go of the wheel?

Have there been times when you felt that He left you abandoned?

Have you cried out to Him but felt like there was an iron shield between you and Him?

Has bitterness taken root in your mind and heart?

Have you given up and walked away?

Most of us have been there a time or two – some may feel that they’ve lived in this state for far too long!

HERE’S THE LESSON WE ALL NEED TO LEARN:

You can’t make up with someone without talking to them!

There it is!  It’s that simple! Samuel spent the night praying through his anger and disappointment!

When’s the last time you did something like that?

Remind yourself that God loves you and will not turn away from you.  Jesus paid the price for your sin to be forgiven!

Remember being told to put your name into John 3:16?  Do it now:

For God so loved _________ __________

that He gave His only begotten Son, that [if] _________ __________

believes in Him [s/he] shall not perish,

but _________ __________ [shall] have eternal life.

Don’t be angry with God!

Don’t allow the enemy of your soul to talk you into being disappointed with God!

Take your cue from Samuel and talk through the issues with God! He will NEVER hang up on you!