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The Misguided Search for Kings - Part 4

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This is the final installment in our series. Throughout, we have been exploring how humanity has always been tempted to pursue the wrong kind of search—a search for kings, for quick fixes, for answers that cannot last.

Last week gave us a vivid reminder of this pattern.

  • In Nepal, the government collapsed after deadly protests that left at least 72 dead and thousands injured.
  • In Doha, Qatar, an Israeli strike escalated regional tensions.
  • Russian drone attacks spilled into Poland, provoking immediate military and diplomatic responses.
  • In the United States, the week was marked by tragedy—an assassination in Utah, the solemn remembrance of September 11, and the continued rise of inflation.

These headlines capture more than isolated moments of crisis. They create an atmosphere of fear, unrest, and uncertainty tempting us to search for quick solutions, powerful leaders, or human saviors, for solutions in the wrong places. This is not new. It is an old tactic of the devil, and Scripture exposes it clearly. Beneath the turmoil lies a deeper spiritual reality: the enemy uses such moments to misdirect our attention, to lure us into a misguided search for kings instead of a faithful pursuit of God.

This strategy is not new. In Genesis 3, the serpent enticed Eve to focus on the fruit’s appeal rather than God’s clear instruction: do not eat of it. What looked beneficial became the very thing that led her away from obedience. In Ruth 1, Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to return home. Orpah turned back, seeing no hope in following Naomi into uncertainty. But Ruth chose differently. She embraced the deeper search — for God and His people — declaring, “Your God will be my God.” In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah’s desperate prayer for a child was misunderstood by Eli, the priest who mistook her anguish for drunkenness. Spiritual decline and corruption surrounded her, yet Hannah’s persistence in prayer revealed her true search: not for personal gain but for God’s intervention. Each of these accounts illustrates the same danger: to let circumstances, appearances, or a broken world derail our pursuit of the living God. In each case, the temptation was the same: to settle for less, to misplace the search, to give up when circumstances seemed hopeless.

Occupy till He comes

Jesus spoke directly to this in John 14: “I go to prepare a place for you… I will come back and take you to be with me.” He never promised us kings or quick fixes. He promised Himself. And in Luke 19:13, He gives us our response in one short command: “Occupy till I come.” Our calling is not to chase kings or worldly saviors but to remain faithful in what He has entrusted us to do. Yet even those closest to Jesus struggled. In John 11, when Lazarus died, Martha and Mary believed the search for a miracle was over. They could not see that Jesus had power even over death. Their grief nearly truncated their faith. This is the danger we face today: the world’s chaos tempts us to lower our gaze — to look for human solutions, to despair, or to stop believing altogether. But Jesus calls us to keep our eyes on Him.

What does it mean to occupy? It is not a passive waiting. In the parable of the minas (Luke 19), each servant was entrusted with resources while the master was away. Their task was not to bury them, but to put them to work. So it is with us: we have been given the gospel, spiritual gifts, and opportunities to proclaim the kingdom. Scripture reminds us that we are pilgrims, not settlers. 2 Peter 2:11 calls us “sojourners and exiles.” Hebrews 11:10,16 points us to the city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Our lives are not about securing permanence here, but about faithfully stewarding what we have been given until He returns. Hannah’s example is instructive. She brought her deepest need to God and, when He answered, she dedicated Samuel back to Him. Out of her obedience came a prophet who would reshape Israel. Obedience was the key, not bitterness, not fear. Moses and Samuel both arose as answers to the great crises of their time — Moses to deliver from Egypt, Samuel to call Israel back to God. Both were born of mothers who prayed in faith and released their children to the Lord. They show us that occupying means giving back to God what He has given us, trusting that He will multiply it for His kingdom.

Obedience over distraction

This is the heart of it: obedience. Instead of bitterness, pursue obedience. Instead of fear, pursue faithfulness. Don’t let the weight of the news, the stress of your own circumstances, or the voices of strangers pull you away from simple obedience. The issue was never the fruit—it was the command. Don’t eat the fruit. The command is still the same today: stop testing God, stop chasing false kings, stop looking for solutions in the wrong places. The world is passing away, but the Word of God endures forever. That is why we must invest ourselves in His Word. Hannah prayed earnestly, and so must we. Earnest prayer is not casual — it flows from a place of implicit trust that God’s Word does not lie. It means praying His Word back to Him and stepping out each day in the conviction that He has heard us. Let His Word find expression in our prayers. Seek Him like Hannah. Walk faithfully like Samuel. Even when the place is broken, even when the message feels too heavy, remain steadfast. We go out each day not driven by fear or uncertainty, but with the confidence that He hears and answers because the risen Christ guarantees that our labor in the Lord will never be in vain.

And remember this: He has called us not only to hold His Word in our hearts but to speak His Word over the world — to proclaim truth in a time of confusion, to live out His Word in a broken world, and to walk as witnesses of His coming kingdom. Because this is how we occupy: not by searching for kings, but by investing in His Word, responding with prayer and walking in obedience to the King who has already promised to return.

Reflection:

  1. What is one area of my life where God is calling me to simple obedience right now?
  2. Do my prayers reflect earnest trust in God’s Word, or are they shaped more by fear and circumstances?
  3. What distractions—news, personal struggles, or the voices of strangers—most often pull me away from obedience?
  4. How can I live out God’s Word in a broken world this week?
  5. In what ways can I “speak His Word over the world” to bring truth, hope, and witness to His kingdom?

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