Pushing God Away // On Solid Ground, Part 3

<p>It’s so easy to look at God and come to the conclusion, well I want that part of Him – but not that bit. And definitely not that bit. It seems that all too often, we want Him on our terms rather than His. But God just doesn’t work that way.</p> <p> </p> <h3><span style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>Take it Back</strong></span></h3> <p>Have you ever wanted something in life – I mean really, really, really wanted it and then when you finally get it, you just want to give it back? I think we have all experienced that at some point and you know, I think that for some people, it can be the case with God. I know people, lots of people, who hunger to be close to God. I know there are people listening today – maybe you are one of them – and all their lives they have wanted God – whatever that means.</p> <p>But can I tell you something? Even something really good – I mean really, really good like God, well, it can be a shock to the system and the reason is that we have these idealised, unrealistic notions of what that good thing will be like. Take the young woman who wants more than anything else, to be married and she meets her knight in shining armour, she marries him and a year later she is wondering, "What happened to all my ideas of romance 24/7?"</p> <p>Today on the programme we are going to take a look at some people who got God and couldn’t wait to give Him back. Now over these last few weeks we have been working our way through the story of Hannah and Eli and his sons in the Book of First Samuel. And the crux of it is that Hannah honours God but Eli and his sons don’t and the turning point of the whole story comes in the verse First Samuel – if you have a Bible, grab it, open it up here in First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30. God says:</p> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me, will be treated with contempt.</em></p> <p>And we have seen how the central reality of that verse has played itself out in the lives of Hannah, who was blessed when she couldn’t have a so