Worth the Wait

I’ve been reading in 1 Samuel recently, taking a chapter a day and digesting it slowly. Isn’t it a miracle that God’s Word is never depleted of its wonderful truths…new truths that we’ve read, perhaps 20 times, and never seemed to notice before? God has really been speaking to my heart. I want to share something I’ve been thinking on and was reading this morning.

One day the children of Israel went to Samuel and demanded a king. Samuel went to the Lord and prayed about it. He was upset, but God told him Israel had not rejected Samuel; they had rejected Him. God gave Israel a king, even though it was not what He wanted for them. It’s a scary thing that if we force our will though, God will relent and give us second best if we push hard enough. On that note, let me ask a question. Is your “wanter” wanting what God wants you to want? God’s chosen people came to a point where they didn’t care what God, their King, wanted. They wanted their will and nothing short of it.

In the beginning of 1 Samuel 8, we see one reason, which was just an excuse, why Israel wanted a king. Samuel’s sons, corrupt just like Eli’s sons, were not fit to be in the service of the Lord. Samuel’s lack of child discipline gave Israel what seemed like a good reason to openly rebel against God in demanding a king. We can give others a reason to “want a king” by not being right with God ourselves.

God gave in and let Israel have a king, but first He told Samuel to explain what their desired king would do to them. Samuel clearly pointed out that their king would take the young and old and put them to work as servants in his house and in his fields. They would be slaves. But did that dissuade Israel? No! They had their minds made up! And how did it all start? Covetousness! Israel was looking at other nations and comparing themselves with the heathen (see 1 Samuel 8:19-20). They wanted a king…“like all the nations.” Israel was so absorbed in what everyone else had that they became discontented with the good things they already had. They chose a king and slavery over God and freedom.

“Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him. They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.”
Hosea 8:3-4

To step beyond the boundaries of God’s will is enslavement. To be “stuck in the bubble” is freedom! To want something other than what God wants for us is seen as rejection to GOD personally. And sometimes God gives us what we want, even if it is not His will for us to have it. What a terrifying thought! What kind of “king” do we desire? What could we be wanting that is out of God’s plan? Is your “wanter” wanting God’s best, or _______’s best, which is second best? These are some serious things to think about.

In 1 Samuel 9 we see that Saul, the future king, comes into the picture. In the beginning of chapter 10 Saul is anointed king of Israel. He is told what will happen in the next hours of that day, and lastly, he is giving careful instructions from Samuel.

“And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee. And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.”
1 Samuel 10:7-8

That’s a little background on the story. Now for some of the thoughts I had this morning during my devotions…

Skipping to 1 Samuel 13, we see what happens regarding these instructions. Saul was preparing to fight against the infuriated Philistines after Jonathan made an attack on the Philistine garrison. The Israelites were outnumbered and trembling with fear as they waited in Gilgal, where Samuel was expected to offer sacrifices to the Lord.

“And he [Saul] tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.”
1 Samuel 13:8-9

Let’s compare these two passages. Saul was in the right place (Gilgal), and had waited 7 full days, just like Samuel had commanded. But where was Samuel? He was supposed to offer the sacrifice! The people were afraid and refused to stay with Saul. So, Saul took matters into his own hands and commanded that the animals for the sacrifice be brought to him. He would do what the man of God alone was permitted to do. He would take over Samuel’s job for him since he was not there to do it. Saul was impatient, and he substituted his plan for God’s plan. He had an agenda, and Samuel’s lack of arriving promptly and God’s commands as to how things should be done properly were messing everything up...or so he thought. So, he took matters into his own hands. He attempted to fulfill God’s will his own way, by his own means.

I cringed as I read this. How often do we do the same thing? God gives us a clear command; we do everything right up to a certain point. But, when it seems that the Lord isn’t fulfilling His end of the deal, we take over. We become the boss. We substitute God’s will with our own will, as if God isn’t capable of carrying out His plan; we think He needs our help. Has God brought you to the appointed place and told you to wait for Him there until He gives you further instruction? WAIT for God! Wait, even when it appears that He’s running late! Even when it seems that He’ll never make it in time to do what you need Him to do! He won’t let you down! He will do just what He promised…but He will do it in His own timing. Don’t rush Him! And don’t improvise on His will while you’re waiting. His will is BEST! And He only gives it to those who esteem it as worth waiting for. God’s will is worth waiting for!

Yesterday (and on Monday evening) I enjoyed looked at the wedding photos of a young lady who also has a blog. I don’t know her personally, but I know we believe the same things by what I’ve seen on her blog. She believes in courtship and the “no touching, no kissing” policy before marriage. She waited for God’s man and kept herself pure. Looking at her wedding photos meant so much more knowing that! One picture in particular and the four words under it caught my attention. It was a picture of the groom kissing the bride, and the caption under the picture read: “Our first kiss ever!” How many girls can say that? How many girls have reserved their lips for their husband alone? I could almost hear her excitement in those few words. “Our first kiss ever!” They said one thing to me. “It was worth the wait!” That phrase ran through my mind all day long. I thought about my own wedding day, Lord willing. I don’t know when I’ll reach that point or whose face I’ll be gazing into as we stand at the alter, but I know one thing! After that first kiss, I will be able to say “It was worth the wait,” because God’s perfect will is always worth waiting for!

Saul didn’t realize that God’s will is worth the wait, and he suffered severe loss as a result. Just as he was finishing making offerings to God, Samuel arrived...

“And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.”
1 Samuel 13:11-14

Saul lost the kingdom because of his impatience and disobedience to this simple command--wait. He looked at the impossible circumstance, and instead of trusting God, tried to remedy it in his own lame way. He didn’t wait! And he missed out on an enormous blessing as a result. Our refusal to wait on God can have similar consequences. Within God’s storehouses are good things that exceed our dreams. He holds the “exceeding abundantly” and is waiting to give it to those He can entrust it to--those who wait on Him…those who esteem His will as something worth waiting for. Dear friend, don’t miss out on your blessing!!! Wait patiently on the Lord, trust in Him, delight yourself in Him, and He will give you the desires of our heart!

“The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”
Lamentations 3:24-26