April 4 ~ 1 Samuel 13:6-14
When the Israelites saw that they were way outnumbered and in deep trouble, they ran for cover, hiding in caves and pits, ravines and brambles and cisterns—wherever. They retreated across the Jordan River, refugees fleeing to the country of Gad and Gilead. But Saul held his ground in Gilgal, his soldiers still with him but scared to death.
He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel. Samuel failed to show up at Gilgal, and the soldiers were slipping away, right and left.
So Saul took charge: “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” He went ahead and sacrificed the burnt offering. No sooner had he done it than Samuel showed up! Saul greeted him. Samuel said, “What on earth are you doing?”
Saul answered, “When I saw I was losing my army from under me, and that you hadn’t come when you said you would, and that the Philistines were poised at Micmash, I said, ‘The Philistines are about to come down on me in Gilgal, and I haven’t yet come before God asking for his help.’ So I took things into my own hands, and sacrificed the burnt offering.”
“That was a fool thing to do,” Samuel said to Saul. “If you had kept the appointment that your God commanded, by now God would have set a firm and lasting foundation under your kingly rule over Israel. As it is, your kingly rule is already falling to pieces. God is out looking for your replacement right now. This time he’ll do the choosing. When he finds him, he’ll appoint him leader of his people. And all because you didn’t keep your appointment with God!”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
My Mam-ma Polly had many virtues… patience was not one of them! When I was growing up, she would call my parents and say, “The peas need to be picked,” or “We’ve got beans to snap,” or “The corn is ready to shuck.” My parents would gather all of us together after work and head for my grandparents’ farm… and the peas would be picked, shelled and bagged for the freezer… the beans would be snapped and ready to can, and the corn would all be laid out nicely… ready to be frozen on the cob or scraped off for soups, stews and eating “cream-style.” And a nice hot supper with some of these delectable fresh veggies would be simmering on the stove!
In later life, it was things like light bulbs that needed changing or a gutter that needed cleaning. My grandmother would call and ask for my husband or me, and before we could get to her house, she would have had the chore completed by her deacon or another church member, a neighbor, or even a friend who stopped by for a visit! Her “excuse” was always, “Well, I decided you weren’t coming!” Not only did her impatience keep us from truly helping her… it often made for unnecessary hard feelings on both sides – and blocked the blessing!
We try to hurry up all sorts of things, and like Saul, we often do a “fool thing” and block a blessing. Does this mean that God will punish us for our impatience and/or excuses? Maybe not in the way you think. See, when we get in God’s way and try to handle things on our own, we often throw a kink in His plans and force Him to move in another direction. So the person that God was grooming to witness to someone for whom you were praying may never get this opportunity, because you stepped in and tried to orchestrate things yourself. God might give the joy that you would derive from seeing His perfect timing in action to someone else. Your reputation for faithfulness and “waiting faithfully on the LORD” might change to that of a person who “jumps the gun” and is impulsive – and your true faithfulness might be questionable.
We all have our own excuses… we were trying to help… we didn’t think anyone was coming…we thought this was what God wanted us to do. But the truth is that we often fail to keep our appointments with God. We ask for His help and guidance… and then we go right ahead and do as we please. Not all of God’s answers and instructions are instantaneous. Some take days/weeks/years. And in that waiting period, we often become impatient and try to take control. This is never a good idea!
Spend some time today with God and talk to Him about the situations and circumstances in your life… and in the lives of those for whom you pray. Ask Him where – and how – you should be proceeding. Call on Him to clearly reveal to you where you should be waiting on Him. Don’t block a blessing… or miss an assignment! Don’t try to hurry God… or to take matters into your own hands. There really is no good excuse for either.
©2013 Debbie Robus
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