Former Blackout Artist

Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. – 1 Samuel 13:8-9

The first king of Israel’s impatience led him to disobeying God, and that cost him the kingdom. There’s a lesson here for us, too.

Saul had received a clear command from God: wait for Samuel. Yet as the days passed, his enemies gathered strength as his army began to scatter. Pressure mounted and fear took over. “I have to do something!” he thought. So Saul took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice himself.

This is one of Satan’s oldest devices. If he cannot persuade us to abandon God’s will altogether, he will urge us to run ahead of it.

Many of our greatest spiritual failures are not the result of deliberate sinfulness but of hurried impatience. We’re in a rush to solve a problem, secure a result, defend ourselves, seize an opportunity, or relieve our anxiety. We convince ourselves that our situation demands immediate attention and that obedience can be set aside “just this once.”

Unfortunately this becomes a way of life. From sunup to sundown, always on the go. Even when we stop to take a break, we’re quick to get fidgety and restless.

The hurried Christian is a vulnerable Christian. When we’re too busy to pray, too anxious to wait, and too determined to control outcomes, we find ourselves in Saul’s position. We begin acting as though God’s commands are negotiable whenever circumstances become difficult.

God is never late. His delays are purposeful, and His timing is perfect. The question is not whether God will keep His word, but whether we will trust Him long enough to see Him do it.

Also, not every open door is from God, nor does every crisis require immediate action. Sometimes the most courageous thing we can do is to do nothing!

The cost of Saul’s impatience was enormous. Let us take heed also. It is far safer to wait for God than to rush ahead without Him.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times I have trusted my own urgency more than Your wisdom. Deliver me from the pride that refuses to wait and the fear that demands immediate action. Teach me to rest in Your promises and to obey You even when waiting is hard. Amen.