So often we misplace our trusts based upon our feelings and emotions and our hearts desires, even with the best of intentions. Recently I was reading through 1 Samuel 15 where the prophet Samuel presented the word of God to Saul the king:
1Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
I found that Saul and the people did not follow the instructions of the Lord:
8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
I thought about similar situations in world history (WWI) and even in recent American history (Gulf War) where political pressure and cultural attitudes prevented the removal of particularly evil and tyrannical dictators; although these same voices were proponents of their removal prior to these respective wars.
The Human Emotion
These two situations are definitely not biblically based but they do examine my point that human emotions and desires quickly and often change, and therefore are not trustworthy things.
How easy is it for us, within our hearts, our actions, our thoughts, and our deeds to justify ourselves only to discover afterwards that it is very difficult to understand what exactly happened and why it did not turn out like we thought it should. Like Paul we should plant the seed of the gospel with prayer, sound doctrine, and biblical evangelism. Water it with love, patience, kindness, and meekness then trust in the Lord.
“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” –1 Corinthians 3:6
“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” –Psalm 118:8