I Samuel 1:11
‘She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”’
We addressed this passage last time. Today I’m curious if we could avoid or shorten the trial by being more open to Him. Possibly. Seeking Him and His ways could possibly lessen guidance through trials. Psalm 32:9 says, “Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.” Trials act as the bit and bridle. The more sensitive we are to the Spirit the less often we need trials.
While being open to the Spirit may shorten our time in trials, our stubbornness will certainly lengthen them. The classic stubborn person in scripture is Pharaoh. Much is said about his hardness of heart leading to more plagues. In a different example, the children of Israel required an extra 40 years in the wilderness due to their unbelief. Our slow obedience can bring on more correction.
We also need to know that difficulties aren’t always correction. Most of the time, we will never know reasons why. We are to patiently yield to the day God has given to us. This demonstrates our faith. We look up and say, “Thy will be done.”
Lord, thank You that You are actively involved in our lives. Help us to yield to You.