Go on with your bad self

1 Samuel 8:7 "Do everything they say to you, the Lord replied, for it is me they are rejecting, not you." God is the wise parent who will allow us to disobey. The wisdom in it is to teach us the value of staying on the love path with God. If we hear clearly but choose to go another way, the Lord will let us. That is exactly what was done with these Israelites who wanted a king-like everybody else. The Lord will not force his way on us. He is always the standing at the door of our lives knocking God. But he will let us face the consequences of our decisions. Even so, at every step along that way the Lord is still counseling us, still leading us, still loving us, trying to get us back on the love path again. That is just what he did with Israel after this bad decision. He worked within that bad decision to try and get them back into his will and his way again. That is a great comfort-the idea that the Lord will not even let my stubborn disobedience and rejection of his guidance-which truly is a rejection of him-stop him from loving and leading me. Oh, what an amazing God we know and serve (mostly).