I trust God more than I trust my situations.
“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 Mikmash, 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.”
- 1 Samuel 13:11-12 (New International Version)
As I was reading in 1 Samuel this morning and learning about how King Saul stayed wildin’ out, I started to notice a trend: He kept messing up because he was impatient.
The text above shares how when he was faced with making a decision in battle, God took too long so Saul went ahead and did what he wanted to do or what he felt was right. And what got me was, that’s basically what I typically “preach” as it relates to making business and life moves. I’m always telling people “God can’t order your steps if you’re not taking them”.
So here I am this morning like, dang Lord, I know I’ve been sharing what You’ve led me to share so help me understand how what Saul did was wrong, but what I’ve harped on so many times is right. What’s the difference? This is what He shared with me:
The difference is that Saul didn’t really have faith in God.
He was just going through the motions, while in his heart he wasn’t actually depending on God for direction. He just “prayed” out of formality because that’s what he was supposed to do.
In reality though, he trusted more in his situation than in God.
And that’s the primary difference: the location of your trust. You can take all the big bold steps you want to, but if at the end of the day you’re only taking them based on trust in your circumstances? You might end up treading in that disobedient, Saul territory.
But let me encourage you that if you’re getting ready to take a step or already have, not fully knowing if it’s right or wrong but fully trusting in God to guide you to where He wants you to be, you’re walking and living by faith, just like you’re supposed to do.
And the beautiful thing is, what you’re trying to do can still happen quickly (it might not, but it can). That’s what happened to Jonathan in the bonus devotional I shared with you this morning. Jonathan made a bold move just like his dad Saul did, but he did it in trust that God would show him the right way in the midst of the decision he made. And in a matter of moments, his direction was made clear and the salvation he believed would come, came.
So here’s the conclusion I’ve come to: there’s a difference between being impatient in faith, and impatient in disobedience. God wants us to make bold moves in trust, based on all that His word and His reputation say we can have. If a situation you’re facing isn’t lining up with what God says is for you, go ahead and be impatient about that! Get what’s yours! (Joshua 18:3) But whatever you do, do it in God trust, not situation-trust. That’s how you stay in His will and manifest the things He has freely given to you.
Still hungry? Eat some more //
1 Samuel 14:1-15, Habbakuk 2:2-4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38