Your Daily Devotional for May 20, 2006

May 20, 2006

 

God’s Second Best

By Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us.  And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.  And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

 

1 Samuel 8:6-7

 

I want God’s best for my life today.  What about you?  We can say that easily, but then we get caught up in the selfishness of our lives and we settle for God’s second best before we even realize it.

 

Think about Solomon.  God had an unbelievable plan for his life.  He was the wisest and richest man in the world.  God’s hand was upon him, but he got caught up in popularity and ended up with 700 wives and 300 concubines who pulled him away from his God.  He settled for second best, which was heart-breaking.

 

Then we have Abraham—the friend of God.  He was patient for many years and showed faith in God, but then he decided to give up God’s best and add heartache to his life by taking Hagar to wife. 

 

Here in the passage of 1 Samuel we see that Israel did the same thing.  They had God as their only leader.  They were under a theocracy—ruled by God.  However, they looked around at the people and nations of the world and wanted to be like them.  They fell into Satan’s trap of comparison and decided that God’s way was not the best for them.  They asked for God’s second best—a king. 

 

God has a perfect plan and will for you as an individual, as a couple, or as a family.  In Jeremiah 29:11, He says to His people, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

 

We are familiar with Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

 

Whether you are faced with a big or little decision today, don’t rely on your own understanding.  Trust in the Lord.  He wants to give you His best.  Don’t settle for second best!!

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