The Lord IS Enough
Isn’t it a sobering yet comforting thought that everything we could ever want is in the Lord? Protection, provision, comfort, companionship, it’s all in Him. He’s all we need. Outside of Him is where we find ourselves disappointed.
From 1 Samuel 8 through the 12th chapter, Scripture tells us about a people who failed miserably by looking outside of the Lord for a king. The children of Israel wanted a king SO badly, but failed to realize that the Lord WAS everything that they were looking for.
1 Samuel 12:12
“But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites had come against you, you said to me, ‘No but a king shall reign over us’ — although the Lord your God was your King”
You see, satisfaction does not come from anywhere else but the Lord. No king, no relationship, no _________ (fill in the blank) will ever fill the God-sized hole in your heart that only He was meant to fill.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 AMP
“He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.”
After the Israelites had realized what they had done, Samuel encourages them by telling them to serve the Lord with all their hearts; to not turn away because these things are literally futile (incapable of producing any useful result). The same thing goes for us. Serve the Lord and recognize the futility of whatever you may be seeking that is NOT the Lord; it can’t save you.
1 Samuel 12:20-21
“20 Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid. You have [indeed] done all this evil; yet do not turn away from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 You must not turn away, for then you would go after futile things which cannot profit or rescue, because they are futile.”
And here’s the kicker, just like He did with the children of Israel, The Lord will not force you to realize that it’s Him you need. He WILL hand you over to your own debased mind if that’s what you want, just like He did the children of Israel. He will not violate your free will.
1 Samuel 8:7-9 AMP
“The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them. Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have abandoned (rejected) Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. So now listen to their voice; only solemnly warn them and tell them the ways of the king who will reign over them.”
You see, the Lord grants us so much grace. He even told his servant Samuel to WARN the people of what type of king Saul would be. Friends, save yourselves the headache and resolve in your heart that the Lord is ALL you need. After all, it is up to us to understand and realize that the Lord is truly all that we need.