1 Samuel 1:23 (NIV)

“’Do what seems best to you,’ her husband Elkanah told her. ‘Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word.’…”

What seems best for you may not always be what’s God’s will, and we must be careful in walking this path. We must not make decisions only according to what seems best for us. If you are in a position of authority, you need not easily oblige people to have their way according to what they think is best for them. The truth is, we don’t usually know what is best for us, although we think we do. We are frail and broken vessels, and our thoughts are not usually in line with God’s thoughts, except if we are fully submitted to the Holy Spirit, and we are mature in hearing and obeying Him.

Elkanah knew his wife was a godly and God-fearing woman. He had seen her grow in grace and godliness. He trusted her judgment, that’s why he could say, “Do what seems best to you…only may the Lord make good His word…” That’s the language of trust. When we have proven our maturity with God, people will more easily trust our judgments. When we repeatedly make bad decisions, people will not accept our ideas. What seems best to us should align with what is God’s goodwill for us. That’s the delicate balance we need to always make.