Waiting on God

I sympathize with Saul in this passage.  I really do. 

Here he is, with an army of 3000 reduced to an army of 600. 

The enemy is literally knocking on the door, and Samuel, a man he was counting on to intercede for him before God was late, and there was no way of knowing when he would come.

And so with everything falling apart, Saul panics, and offers sacrifices he had no business offering. 

I can see why he did it.  Honestly, I wonder how I would’ve responded.  Would I have done the same thing that he did?  I don’t know.

But in this story we see one of the core problems in Saul’s life.  He had trouble trusting God with all his heart. 

And so when things started to fall apart, instead of waiting on God, and asking for his help, he started to act in his own wisdom and strength. 

In doing so, however, he disobeyed direct orders from God.

Contrast that with David who would succeed him as king, “a man after God’s own heart.”  David wrote,

Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident. (Psalm 27:3)

and,

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:13-14)

These were not just words in David’s life.  He lived them.

David had his faults.  And he sinned horribly at points in his life.

But at times in his life when Saul was seeking to kill him, when even his own son Absalom tried to kill him, you never see David make the mistakes that Saul did. 

He didn’t panic.  He didn’t take matters into his own hands.  Instead, he faithfully kept on doing what he knew was right.

Why could David do this?  Because he trusted God.  Because he was confident that God would deliver him.    And time and again, God did deliver him.

How about you?  When life seems to be falling apart at the seams, how do you respond?  Do you panic?  Do you take things into your own hand?

Or are you like David, and continue to do things God’s way?  Do you continue to trust God, and wait for his deliverance?