Some things just come to us as naturally as breathing. For example, when we touch a hot surface, we pull our hand away without thinking. When we unexpectedly encounter a snake in the yard, we recoil by instinct. Likewise, most of us will flinch at loud noises or creepy shadows. They’re just things we do.
These are harmless reactions; in fact, some are actually protective. However, there is another natural tendency we have that is not good for us. In 1 Samuel 12, God’s prophet called Israel together and delivered what my Bible calls his “farewell address.” In it, Samuel recounts Israel’s error in demanding to have a king like the nations around them. Samuel had tried to warn them, but they wouldn’t listen.
Finally, Israel acknowledged their sin, saying to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king” (v. 19). That part of their reaction is healthy. But listen to Samuel’s response, for in it is the natural tendency we need to avoid.
“Samuel said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart’” (v. 20). Samuel agrees that what they’d done was evil. But then he encourages them to do the unnatural thing during their time of guilt. Instead of running AWAY from the Lord, Samuel tells them to turn TO Him.
But they weren’t merely to walk in God’s direction, they were to run to Him and throw themselves completely into His arms. “Serve” in v. 20 conveys the idea of “worshipping.” And their worship was not to be half-hearted, lukewarm, or a miserable habit. No, they were to give to God their entire being. “Heart” encompasses one’s thoughts, motives, actions, desires, decisions, will, etc. In other words, God is to get ALL of us.
And He WANTS all of us, even after we’ve sinned against Him. Friends, you have not committed the sin from which God won’t take you back – just turn toward Him; don’t run away. –Dave
(To receive these free daily devotions via email, subscribe here. You may listen to The Teachable Heart Podcast on Spotify, Google Podcast, or Audible. For more information about the ministry, or to order the devotional books, visit: https://theteachableheart.com/books.)
The Teachable Heart blog 