MOVE ON! 1
JUNE 29, 2026
TEXT: “And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel?” (1 Samuel 16:1a)
Today’s teaching serves as a means of motivating us not to be overburdened by past events and sorrows. It is a fact that mourning is natural, and people tend to grieve over certain things that may have hindered them at some point in time. However, there should come a time when God’s people must stop dwelling on past losses and move forward into God’s new purposes.
A full reading of the passage containing our chosen text shows how Samuel kept mourning for Saul. This is quite understandable, considering the circumstances surrounding his appointment as king. Saul had been anointed by Samuel through God’s special instruction and was basically being mentored by him. Samuel really loved Saul and wanted him to succeed. It was, therefore, a disappointment to him that Saul fell off track. (1 Samuel 10)
As earlier stated, mourning and grieving are quite natural. Jacob mourned the supposed death of his son (Genesis 37:34-35). David mourned the deaths of Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:11-12). However, mourning becomes abnormal when it prevents us from obeying God and embracing His glorious future. It becomes abnormal when it prevents us from seeing the positive side of God and life generally.
Excessive mourning can make us dwell unhealthily in the past while losing touch with future possibilities. Many believers today remain spiritually stagnant because they are still stuck on past academic, career, marital, and financial failures. Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Philippians, urged believers to press forward and forget the things of the past (Philippians 3:13-14). Similarly, God told the Israelites through the Prophet Isaiah not to remember the former things, particularly the negative ones, because He had promised to do a new thing (Isaiah 43:18-19).
SEARCHLIGHT: God’s purposes do not end because one chapter has closed.
PRAYER: LORD, give me the strength to move on and face my glorious future, in the mighty name of Jesus.
BIBLE READING: Job 42, Psalm 1 & 2, 1 John 4
PASTOR MICHAEL OMOLE
