1 Samuel 7

It is one thing to be a Christian; it is another thing to be a happy Christian. To know the scriptural doctrine of the believer's position and privileges is very different from having the possession and enjoyment of them. The fact is, we are slow to enter upon and make our own the blessings God has graciously given us in Christ.
In Samuel's day, the people were characterized for a long time by lamenting after the Lord; this, we fear, describes the state of heart of thousands of Christians now. They are desiring rather than possessing, longing for instead of enjoying fellowship with the Lord Himself. They are hoping to have, instead of entering into God's thoughts and purposes and tasting His joys. Why is this?