1 Samuel 16:1-2 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over 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, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
Occasionally, things just do not work out. Inventors are very familiar with the principle. Edison was once asked about his numerous failures in inventing the light bulb. He replied that through the process he had learned how not to invent a light bulb. And sometimes experience is a very good teacher. It can be a very painful way to learn too. I can look back on the lessons I have learned in my life. The lessons which stand out the most are those I experienced and not those taught by someone sharing their experiences, or advice, with me. At some point we always reach the point in recovering from failure that we realize it is time to move on.
Have you ever encountered a person who just could not put the past behind them and move forward with their lives? There are numerous causes for a person being in that position. It could be the loss of a loved one, a family member, a pet. It could be a failed relationship or marriage. It could be any number of things we all have the opportunity to encounter in life. But for some people, the prospect of moving on with their lives is inconceivable. They have lost hope. It is sad to see this happen. And it happens all too often my friends. This can even happen to people of faith. Something occurs that overwhelms them. I will not pretend to be able to understand all the reasons, but I do know that this happens. I have seen this with my own eyes. What are we to do to help these people? What can we possibly know what would be of value in helping them recover? When we look at the words of 2 Corinthians 4:5-10. Therein is the hope we all need to have. We are afflicted, but not crushed. We are perplexed but not driven to despair. We have the knowledge through faith to see beyond our current position the opportunity to reach beyond the current and to will to grasp onto all that can be through Jesus Christ our Lord. That is what we know. We have to look at the example given to us in 1 Samuel 16:1-2 and there it is laid out in the very words of God. “How long will you grieve over Saul?” God, as we should too, knows there are situation where the right thing to do is to move on. It can be painful and scary, but well worth it. We, those who may have already come through the fire can share our experiences, our compassion, our concern, our love and the love of Jesus with those who are stuck in the quicksand of despair and doubt. We can reach out with a willing hand to point the way to Jesus. That is what we can do. We can help those who have been unable to help themselves. This we do not because we have to in order to earn our salvation. This we do because we are already saved, and that message has to be shared with all who are downtrodden and in despair.
PRAYER: Lord of Creation, the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. The magnitude of the number of lost souls is overwhelming to us. The breadth and depth of the need is too much Father. Help us to remember that we are not alone. Help us to remember that You are there by our side. Send Your Holy Spirit to comfort us and to strengthen our faith so that we may be equal to the task at hand. This we ask in the name of Your Son Who was equal to the task of saving all mankind on the cross. Amen.
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