1 Samuel 8:6-7 (NKJV)
“But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”

People will say and do things that will hurt and displease you. That is the nature of human relationships. Sometimes, they may not mean to hurt you and sometimes they will. But that is irrelevant – because we do not read the hearts of men and cannot really ascertain what their true motives are. What really matters however is, how we react. Do we let the pain inflicted by others determine our reaction or do we walk like the Saints of old, by seeking God’s face before we respond to any situation?

Samuel was deeply wounded when the elders told him that they did not want his sons as judges over them, but rather wanted a king. This was outright rejection, and he must have felt quite depressed about it – but he did not respond. “So Samuel prayed to the Lord.” Before responding, Samuel prayed. Despite the pain, Samuel prayed. Rather than let his flesh determine his action, Samuel prayed. What a discipline. What a call to caution for many of us who tend to respond before praying. It is not easy to “not respond” especially when you have the capacity to respond, and know how to respond.

NLT says Samuel, “went to the LORD for guidance.” He was not just silent or praying; he went to the Lord for guidance on what to do. If we assume we know what to do, we don’t usually wait for or pray for guidance. If we know that we don’t know what to do (meaning that we don’t trust our flesh to tell us what to do), then we pause and wait for the heavenly voice. And heaven will speak. We don’t know how long Samuel had to wait, but he waited, and eventually, the Lord spoke. And I doubt that what the Lord said was exactly what Samuel had expected. When the Lord speaks, He may differ completely from what we may have wanted to say or do, but let us still follow Him. His ways are wiser and better than anything we can ever come up with. In this desert of life that’s full of pain and destitution, we desperately need guidance. Expect pain from this world. That is the nature of human relationships. But choose the pathways of the Saints. Don’t respond to the world as they expect you to. Respond only as the Lord instructs you to.