Devotion:
Read 1 Samuel 13:5-14.
Does impatience seem like a sin or mistake? Saul’s sin may not seem so bad to us. He just didn’t wait for the prophet Samuel to come back to offer sacrifices to God, and he offered the sacrifices himself. What’s wrong with that? Saul had been told to wait till Samuel came.
Saul did wait, but as the situation got worse, he and his troops were fearful. The enemy, the Philistines, greatly outnumbered them as they were closing in. Saul’s men were hiding and then they began to scatter. Samuel did not come when they expected him. Saul did wait for the seven days, but then just before Samuel came, Saul took matters into his own hands and offered sacrifices to God. Saul thought the people needed a leader of action, but Samuel knew they needed one who could show them how to trust and obey. Saul’s disobedience cost him a kingdom.
Sometimes any action seems better than waiting, especially when it appears as if everything is crumbling around us. We reason that we are at least doing something instead of nothing. But in our impatience, we often make things worse instead of better. Often we show that we don’t really trust God to guide us and give us what we need.
Personal Worship Option:
Are you willing to trust, obey, and wait? Everlasting God, help us to understand that you are not slow in keeping your promises, so that we may wait patiently in Jesus. Amen.
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