1 Samuel 13:11-13, “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor. So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering. “You acted foolishly” Samuel said. You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; If you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.”
When you are in a troublesome spot, and you have prayed, and God hasn’t answered yet, do you sometimes try to solve the situation yourself without His consent out of anxiety that you are carrying? Those are the times when your problem is overwhelming, and you feel trapped and like time is running out. Your endurance and patience give out due to the troublesome circumstances. This is when standing firm in one’s faith needs to be done a little longer. I have been learning this lesson recently. The only way to gain endurance is to follow and obey James 1:3, which declares, “For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” The question I have to ask myself is, when I can’t see the ending, will I hang on and trust God no matter what, cling to His promises, rather than what I see or experience? That is something we all face.
How often don’t we try and look for the answer instead of waiting on direction from the Holy Spirit by making Excel spreadsheets to analyze data, seeking out other experts’ opinions, accessing our feelings and emotions, looking for different open doors, or relying on our intelligence or strategic reasoning instead of seeking God’s guidance first and searching the scriptures for wisdom and answers? This was the sin and mistake that Saul made, giving into being pressured and led by crisis in the approaching “Philistines 3000 chariots, 6,000 charioteers (horsemen), and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore” 1 Samuel 13:5. The enemy was coming. He felt outnumbered and panicked due to his fear of not knowing what to do. But Samuel had given Saul in 1 Samuel 10:8, explicit instruction to wait for him as he instructed Saul, “But you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what to do.” Samuel would have instruction from God, and the Israelites would then have been spiritually fit for battle. “Saul was a king, not a priest, and only priests were to offer sacrifices. Saul had no business doing what only a priest should do.” Blue Letter Bible Commentary, David Guzik. Seven days had not completely passed. If Saul had waited just one more hour, he wouldn’t have been in this predicament of his wrong choice of disobeying God. Aren’t the last moments of waiting the hardest and tempt us to take things into our own hands just as Saul did?
When pressure strikes, what about your character comes to light? When you feel time is running out, what is your first reaction? I admit impatience, frustration, worry, fears, doubts, and unclear thinking are the temptations that strike me, and I feel I must do something. How about you? God used a delay to test Saul. Think about that the next time you are tempted to take things into your own hands out of a lack of faith, money, ingenuity, and trust in God’s on-the-surface delay in answering and providing for your needs. This has given me a different perspective this week. Here are a few verses to remember when this happens:
- 2 Peter 2:9, “Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.”
- Jeremiah 16:19a, “O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble.”
- Matthew 13:22, “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” LSB
- 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
- Psalm 119:98, “Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.”
So when that next perplexing and upsetting situation arises that you may be in a position of leadership or just a situation in life for a decision to be made, wait patiently for the LORD to turn to you, knowing He has heard your cry (might be literally), for He will lift you up, out of the quicksand you are sinking in, and set your feet on solid ground that is firm and not slippery. This is my paraphrase of Psalm 40:1-2. Trust in God when your resources are slipping away. Then, wait for His answer. God can see beyond today. He knows the safest and optimal route. You will then have gained Christ-like character and wisdom by waiting the full course on Him. May you truly feel God’s peace over you guiding in the direction He wants you to go.
Listen to Katy Nichole – “My God Can” (feat. Naomi Raine) [Official Lyric Video]