ICS Daily Devotions
Awaiting God Patiently
1 Samuel 13:8-10,11- 13 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and
Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul
offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to
greet him. “What have you done?” asked Samuel…. “;You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the
command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all
time. But now your kingdom will not endure.”
It is God’s timing that will bring us victorious life in the spirit. For the king Saul in the Old Testament, the miss of
God’s timing and the lack of patience had tragic consequences. Israel battled their traditional enemy, the Philistines. Saul did not experience a closer relationship with God and lacked the spiritual fruit, as a contrast to David, for instance. He also lacked patience and put trust in himself rather than in God. He should have waited for the prophet Samuel to burn the offering and to bless the Israelite army. But when Samuel was delaying, Saul took things into his own hands. He did something he was not authorized to do. Only the prophet Samuel had the mandate.
Samuel confronted Saul about the burnt offering that was made without permission. Saul knew he was doing an improper thing yet he disobeyed. The circumstances with the Philistines may have been difficult but it was no excuse because Samuel promised come and do the offering. A godly king would have acted differently. As a result, God rejected his royal dynasty and appointed David as the king instead. Samuel arrived just after the burnt offering. If Saul waited just a little more time, everything would be fine. He just missed the timing! Do not make it an excuse or self-righteous act that you have waited sufficiently long. We will be rewarded only if we wait until God really comes to our help or deliverance. As it says in the Book of Romans:
Romans 12:19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance
is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Some people have always complained that God delays Jesus’ coming too much. There have been 2,000 years and nothing has happened. But there is God’s purpose with everything. God very much delayed the birth of Jesus in the same manner despite the fact that the Jews had cried out for the Messiah several hundred years before. But as the Scripture says, Jesus was not born before the fullness of time. The unanimous Greek culture and political Roman empire allowed for spreading the gospel quickly after Jesus finally appeared and departed. Otherwise it would be impossible. The travel was well organized and safe, and every important nation spoke the Greek language. The prophet Habakkuk says:
Habakkuk 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Matt 24:42-44 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
We need patience. God knows what He is doing. Are you not happy that Jesus did not come back in the year 1500, for instance? It would still have been a huge delay, however, would we be ever born and able to participate in the New Covenant? Let us be happy that God postponed Christ’s return to at least 2000 years. We do not know how many more are still about to join God’s Kingdom. The key is to live daily is like if Jesus was about to come today. If we knew Jesus was coming today, we would definitely prioritize God! God wants us to live this way every day.
Series: The Power of Patience
