When Urgency Provokes Disobedience

Saul figured he could not wait. Earlier, in response to the Philistine threat, he had amassed Israel's first standing army of three thousand men - two thousand with him and a thousand with his son, Johnathan (1 Samuel 13:1-2). According to the narrative, Israel had become an abomination to the Philistines. As along as Israel stayed a weak and subjected people, the Philistines were fine with that. However, as soon as the Israelites show some boldness in the LORD and were willing to fight against the LORD's enemies, as Johnathan had shown in an initial attack, the Philistines considered them an abomination (vv. 3-4).

The Philistine army was formidable. "Thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude . . . When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead" (vv. 5-7). Samuel, the prophet who had months before anointed him before the people, had set a time of seven days to return to preside over sacrifices but he hid not come (v.8). Feeling he was in a crisis with a frightened people and a large enemy amassed against him, Saul did the unthinkable. He said, "'Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.' And he offered the burnt offering" (v.9).

There were two problems with this course of action. First, Saul plainly disobeyed Samuel. Second, he was a king, not a priest, and only priests were to offer sacrifices. He had no business doing what only a priest should do. When Samuel finally showed up, his first question was, "What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord [to seek His favour].’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, 'You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you'” (vv. 13-14).

What terrible consequences! We cannot allow what we deem to be urgent to take precedence over that which is right. The temptation to cut corners are many! Yes, the human mind will always try to rationalize and justify our disobedience, but the acts of disobedience remain. Undoubtedly, Saul's intentions were good but good intent that contradicts God's Word has no legs on which to stand.

God honours obedience to His Word. Had Saul remembered that, he would not have lost his kingdom and more importantly, God's favour. We are faced with the same dilemma today. Amidst the many competing priorities and decisions to be made, all not necessarily in keeping with God's standards, what choices do we make? How much are you prepared to lose?

When Prayer Becomes An Excuse

"I'll pray about it." Four words that often form the basis for what I call prayer paralysis. While prayer, and by extension seeking the will of God, is an important and appropriate first step in any endeavour, far too often our inability to develop and execute a plan of action to achieve a desired goal is hidden behind our spirituality. It is as if through prayer we expect God to do for us what we should be doing for ourselves. As a result, we miss walking in His plans and purposes for our lives because we fail or refuse to step out in faith, trusting we are being directed as we have prayed.

I thought about this form of paralysis as I reflected on the words of the Proverbs writer: "Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts" (Proverbs 24:3-4, Living Bible). Three practical steps are mentioned - plan wisely, use common sense [and I add, believing we are being led by the Holy Spirit], and stay informed on what is going on by seeking out good counsel. Nowhere in the Bible are we told to park our brains at the door. Mahatma Gandhi was right when he said, “To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.” It is wonderful to be a person of faith; however, faith without works, the practical outworking of one's belief, is dead.

How many decisions have been put off because someone is still "praying about it"? Of course, there are times when a period of waiting is required, but what about those decisions that are not made because of fear, excuses, or laziness? Those are the ones we are expected to make using the three practical steps of the Proverbs mentioned earlier. For example, a person looking for a job, after praying, needs to send out applications, do some networking, and keep on checking current job postings. To pray for something, then sit back, and do nothing is presumptuous. Faith is about doing, and the answers to our prayers often come after taking the first step (see Luke 17:14). Jesus encourages us to "ask...seek...knock,” all action words that produces the desired results (Matt. 7:7).

To fail to plan is to plan to fail. Let us not confuse motion with action, or lack of planning and poor decision-making with destiny. In addition to prayer, God has given us the keys to succeed in any enterprise - plan wisely, use common sense, and stay abreast of the facts. Our destiny hinges on our ability, with His help, to consistently carry out these steps.

Military leader and strategist Napoleon Bonaparte said, "Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action comes, stop thinking and go in." That sounds like very good advice. What are you waiting for to get started?

Our Great Cloud of Witnesses

At the recently concluded 2012 London Olympics, over four billion viewers watched Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt enter the history books by becoming the first man ever to retain the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m Olympic gold medals. Eighty thousand of the viewers packed the Olympic stadium and witnessed the spectacular runs of this gifted athlete, and other performances by other gifted athletes like him in their respective sports across this and other venues. Though naturally and extraordinarily talented, the men and women were spurred on by the cheering of the crowds; giving of their best even when it seems there was no more left to give - emotionally, physically, and mentally.

There is something about positive encouragement that causes one to strive for what he or she is capable of being or doing. As Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it, "Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” That is because striving takes a lot of work. Henry Longfellow was right when he said, "The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained in sudden flight but, they while their companions slept, they were toiling upwards in the night.” In the midst of striving, there is often the potential for setbacks, discouragement, resignation, and defeat. We all need good encouragers.

The Christian is no different. Living in a world system that persistently challenges and wears on the believer, many have become weary in well doing. It becomes harder and harder to run the race; to remain true to The Call. However, the writer to the Hebrews reminds us that we are not without an audience that is watching and cheering us on. He writes, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1, KJV). It is instructive that this chapter follows Hebrews 11, the listing of some of the Bible's "Hall of Fame" faith-walking members. According to the writer, lets us run the race as if they are the ones who are cheering us on. What august company!

The Christian life is not a sprint; it is a marathon. It takes determination and perseverance to complete the race. Amidst the intensity of the race and the numerous distractions, if you listen intently enough you will hear the cheers. Not of eighty thousand voices, but those of all of heaven. Every single one of them saying, “You can make it!” All of them rooting for you to win. So, amidst the spiritual fatigue and exhaustion we often feel, let us keep stride, let us keep going, we must run this race to win.