When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the Lord. (1 Samuel 8: 6)
I remember growing up and attending a traditional Christian church. Even though I didn’t like the speed or tune of the hymns we sang, I do remember the lyrics as they were life-giving and helped me in my personal walk with Jesus. In 1 Samuel 8, I believe the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” would have been very appropriate to Samuel. Why? Because Samuel appointed his sons to be judges as he was getting old, he could not look objectively at his sons. He excused the sins of his sons that he saw in other people. Samuel was not right to appoint his sons as judges over Israel. In verse 6, Samuel was stung by the rejection of his sons. Also, Samuel was able to see the ungodly motive behind the elders’ request for a king. The elders were rejecting God’s plan for Israel, and Samuel knew this was wrong. In his uneasiness, Samuel did the correct thing, he went to God in prayer.
The verses in “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” ring loud in pointing us in everything, to go to God in prayer. “What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in Prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer.”
In everything you face in this world, always match up any advice or comments you receive from people to the standard of God’s word. If something doesn’t match up with God’s word, then we need to go to God in prayer and ask Him for wisdom and discernment. Samuel considered the advice from the elders as wrong, so he went first to God in prayer. Whatever you are facing right now, always remember to go to God in prayer and consult, study, and meditate on His word. God loves to hear the prayers and cries of His children, so don’t hesitate, and in everything, go to God in prayer.