By Ron Hutchcraft
There's a mountain in northern New Jersey that has an intriguing view. It's called Garrett Mountain, over the city of Paterson, New Jersey. In the 1980s, Paterson happened to be the fourth poorest, middle-sized city in America. Now, if you had driven around that city then and that's all you saw, you would think the whole area of north Jersey was poor. But just beyond Paterson on the horizon, you can see some of the wealthiest communities in America.
If you drove around some of those towns, you'd think the whole area was well-off. If all you saw was Paterson, you'd say, "There's no countryside around here." If all you saw were the suburban communities, you'd say, "There's no city here." See, I like Garrett Mountain, because it gives me a bigger view than I can get when I'm right in the middle of things. Up there, you can see the bigger picture. Maybe you need a mountain like that right now.
1 Samuel 8:4 says, "All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel. They said to him, 'You're old and your sons don't walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us such as all the other nations have.' But when they said, 'Give us a king to lead us' this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: 'Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they've rejected, they have rejected Me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now, listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.' Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king."
Samuel has a frustrating situation. The structure of the judge ruling Israel on God's behalf is coming unglued. He's being unappreciated by the people he has given so much for. Does that sound familiar? These people are off on a total tangent that he knows is wrong. They're trying to get a king, when all they really need is God ruling through the judges. Maybe you have some frustrating people in your life. Different issues, but frustrating.
What did he do when the people frustrated him? It says, "So, he prayed to the Lord." What they did displeased Samuel, "So he prayed..." He didn't tell them off or blow up. He takes the people and his feelings straight to the Lord when he's frustrated. Do you?
There are two good results when you do that. First, the Lord gives Samuel the big picture. He says, "This isn't against you. It's part of a pattern." And he defuses the emotions. It's like being on that mountain overlooking both the suburbs and the city. You can see the whole picture when you take the frustration to the Lord. You can see where things are coming from, and where things are going. You're above that limited view you have when you're right in the middle of the aggravation. When you take the frustrating people to the Lord, He gives you the big picture instead of you just reacting to an incident.
Secondly, He gives you a balanced response. He told Samuel to listen to them and then warn them. Listening to frustrating people gives you credibility. They'll listen if you've listened to them. Then warning them fulfills your responsibility to tell them the results of the way they're going. Some people listen without warning people; some people warn people without listening to them.
When people's actions displease, frustrate, and hurt you, would you go to God first? You know what He'll do? He'll take you up on a mountain where you can see the whole picture, and help you respond in a balanced way. When people frustrate you, go over their head. Go straight to the Throne Room of the King.
