Gospel Reflections #899: Whether we insist on our own way or harden our hearts...

1 Samuel 9:18,19 Saul approached Samuel at the city gate and asked him, "May I ask where the seer's house is?" Samuel replied to Saul, "I am the seer."

This depicts how God's plan unfolds through an individual's daily routine (searching for lost donkeys).

Saul was acting on the ordinary purpose of finding his father's donkeys, yet God had already told Samuel, "Tomorrow a man from Benjamin will be sent to you."

The dramatic reunion depicted here is that the very person Saul asked, "Where is the seer's house?" was Samuel himself, who had been searching for him.

God's plan was not to give a king to the people of Israel, but respecting their free will, He granted them a man to be king.

Samuel faithfully conveyed God's message and showed the Israelites what their future would be like, but they refused to obey Samuel's voice.

Despite the Israelites rejecting God's will, God gave them what was best for them and guided them to salvation within His providence.

In our daily lives, God works in the same way.

Whether we insist on our own way or harden our hearts, God focuses not on that, but on leading us to salvation.

We pause our self-centered hearts, turn back, allow God to search us, and are nurtured within God's healing and mercy.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.