By Lisa Wilmore
Scripture: “Now the LORD said to Samuel, ‘How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons’” (1 Samuel 16:1 NKJV).
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
One of the great blessings God has given us is the gift of prayer. We are called to pray persistently for those we love, asking God for His divine intervention in their lives. However, there comes a time when our mourning for someone, especially when they have persistently chosen a path contrary to God’s will, can leave us spiritually paralyzed. The question to ponder is “How long will you mourn?”
In our Text, God asked Saul this pertinent question as he mourned Saul’s rejection. After fighting the Amalekites, Saul was rejected by God because He disobeyed God’s instruction. He was told to destroy everything; people, possessions, and all. Nevertheless, he kept some of the spoils for himself and allowed the people to take items as well. Even though Saul gave an excuse for the people who spared the best of the sheep and the oxen to sacrifice unto the Lord God (1 Sam.15:21), it displeased God. So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king” (1 Sam. 15:22-23). After Samuel finishes the business of God by slaying Agag, the Amalekites king, who was also spared, he left and began to mourn. God asked him, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing that I have rejected Him? Fill your horn with oil and go.”
Dear hearts, God does not want us to remain stuck in grief or sorrow over those things we that cannot change. Just as He told Samuel to stop mourning over Saul and move forward with His plan, God calls us to rise up and continue walking in our purpose.
Yes, we should intercede in love and faith. But when our mourning turns into immobility, we risk missing the new assignment God has prepared for us. There is a time to mourn, but there is also a time to move. God still has work for us to do. In fact, God has new people to be reached and new places to go. Therefore, fill your horn with oil. Get up. Go where God is sending you.
