When God Goes Against His Will
1 Samuel 2:25
“But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.”
This one stopped me in my tracks.
It’s a heavy truth that sometimes, even when we’re pleading for someone to change, even when they know what’s right, they just won’t. And not because they’re ignorant or stubborn. But because, in a mysterious and holy way, God has allowed it.
That’s hard to hear. Especially when you’ve prayed for someone for a long time. Especially when you’re on the road, watching friends spiral, hoping they’ll wake up and turn around. Especially when it’s someone close, someone you love.
But this passage reminds me that God’s revealed will and His decreed will aren’t always the same. Sometimes, for reasons we don’t see or understand, His plan unfolds in a way that doesn’t line up with what we’ve been begging for.
That doesn’t mean God isn’t good.
It doesn’t mean He isn’t listening.
It doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us.
It means His purposes are deeper, His wisdom higher, and His timeline eternal. There’s still hope for those who repent. The thief on the cross is proof. God is staggeringly merciful and He still answers prayers. But in the moments when the answers don’t come like we wanted, when the healing doesn’t happen, when the person doesn’t turn around, it’s okay to wrestle with it.
And still choose to trust.
Prayer:
God, this is a hard truth. That sometimes You allow people to keep walking in their sin, even when we cry out for change. I pray right now for everyone reading this who’s carrying that weight. For every tech, crew member, musician, or family member watching someone drift, trying to hold on to hope, remind them that You see it all. You are still sovereign. You are still good. Help us trust Your wisdom even when we don’t understand Your ways. And for those who feel far from You today, I pray You would draw them back. Let today not be the day of hardening, but the day of grace.
Amen.