Read 1 Samuel 3:8-18
Eli had never personally heard from God (1 Samuel 3:1), however, he recognized that God was speaking to Samuel. Understandably, he was curious as to what God had to say. We have to admire his response to what he was told: “He is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.”
When you hear from God, what do you want to hear? If we are honest, it is something wonderful, encouraging and insightful. The right answer, however, is whatever He has to say. But for some reason we are terrified of His “whatever.” We don’t find a whole lot of comfort in verses like Psalm 135:6: “Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.” Our imagination runs away with us – usually to a place of fear and dread. Fear is magnified if we view God sitting on a throne of judgment ready to pounce. Even if we have a gentler view of God, it is still scary to pray “whatever,” because to do so is to surrender control, including the control of knowing what He will choose to do or allow to happen. There is no guarantee that it will be what we want to hear. It requires releasing God from our expectations of what, how and when.
The root of our apprehension is that we miss the foundational truth regarding His “whatever” given in the preceding verse. “For I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods.” (Psalm 135:5) If we know and trust who He is, we can trust whatever pleases Him, because He always acts in line with His character and purpose. An entrustment into God’s whatever is an entrustment into His trustworthiness. When we foolishly fear the “whatever of God,” basically we fear Him being true to all He is, which according to Psalm 135:5 is being great!
What is so great about God? Here is a mere sampling:
His goodness (Psalm 31:19)
His loving kindness (Psalm 103:11)
His strength and understanding (Psalm 147:5)
His glory (Psalm 138:5)
His mercy (1 Peter 1:3/Psalm 119:156)
His might (Jeremiah 10:6)
His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22,23)
His wisdom (Isaiah 28:29)
His power, counsel and deeds (Jeremiah 32:17-19)
Seeking whatever pleases the Lord is actually a petition for Him to be great. “But now, I pray let the power of the Lord be great just as you have declared.” (Numbers 14:17) Isn’t God being great what we truly want in any and every situation?
Making It Personal
Do you feel you can honestly say, “He is the Lord, let Him do whatever He wants?” Why or why not?
There is a personal element to this assurance – “For I know.” Why is it important that you truly know that God is great?
How can Psalm 115:3 be a statement of confidence, power and peace?
There are a lot of things we want to happen – today, this week, this year, etc. Why should you want His whatever, more than anything else?
Stop and make this a matter of honest prayer: either a genuine request for His whatever or surrendering to His willing and working in your heart to desire the “whatever” of God.
