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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #358 December 20, 2001 We Want A King As a parent, I’ve sometimes been faced with the choice of letting my children do something that I know is not good for them simply because they refused to listen to me about what was best. My sons are both great and I’m proud of them, but like children everywhere, sometimes they just chose to do things the hard way. My parents read Gleanings, and I’m sure by now they are chuckling, as I was much the same as my kids. It’s an ironic chuckle, because while the outcome in the long run was good, the pain of the experience was hard for everyone as we went through it. Sometimes it can be heart breaking, because you know at the outset the child will go through some painful growing as a result of the experience. God’s heart must break every day as He permits His children to do dumb things in the fervent hope they will learn. In the early days of Israel’s history, the people decided that having God to lead them wasn’t enough. All of their neighbours had kings, so Israel asked God to provide them a king. Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day." But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." 1 Samuel 8:10-21a NIV Through the rest of Israel’s history problems of incredible size can be traced to her kings. Sometimes, we get what we pray for because it is the only way we are going to learn. What are you asking God for? Are you asking Him to give you a king when He is already there? Until next time, may your heart be sensitive to the leading of Holy Spirit and your prayers focused on God’s will, not yours. God bless. Kevin. Do you know God? I don’t mean an intellectual knowledge that there is a God; I mean do you know Him in terms of having a personal relationship? If not, email me and I’ll share a few Bible verses that explain why that is important and a prayer that will make it possible. To share your thoughts on this issue of Gleanings, or to share prayer concerns email us at corbin_writer@hotmail.com. At Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential. If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page on our website
 © 2001 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin All Rights Reserved SUBSCRIBE TO GLEANINGS FOR FREE
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