Do Something!
Man has a tendency to want to do things like those around him, whether it’s owning a home and two cars, or emulating another nation’s system of government. After God gave Israel the Promised Land with the homes and properties of its former occupants, the Israelites decided they also wanted a king instead of God to rule over them. It didn’t matter that God had given them all they had, and that it was His Presence that set them apart from all the other nations.
Nevertheless, God instructed the prophet, Samuel, to anoint Saul as King. In so doing, Samuel gave Saul this important instruction: “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.” (1 Samuel 10: 8) Sometime later when Saul was fighting the Philistines, he was at Gilgal among his badly outnumbered troops who were defecting right and left. He waited the seven days, and when Samuel didn’t show, Saul took matters into his own hands to offer sacrifices to the Lord in an attempt to rally the remaining troops. In this crisis, he concluded that if he didn’t act swiftly, Israel would be defeated by the Philistines.
Many of us identify with Saul. We try to do the right thing by giving our crises to the Lord in asking for His help and guidance. But the clock is always ticking and at some point, a decision has to be made and action taken if we want to survive. Our situation usually becomes increasingly dire as the perceived deadline looms. Somebody needs to do something, and since the Lord has been silent, we take matters into our own hands, believing it to be totally irresponsible not to do so. We don’t usually suffer the harsh consequences for disobedience that Saul did in losing his family’s succession to the throne. Our consequence is more likely a serious crack in our shield of faith, making us more vulnerable to the next enemy attack.
In both cases, the seeming time delay on the Lord’s part is a test of trust. God is never late, but He is the Master of “down to the wire.” Samuel did, in fact, show up for Saul. But Saul’s fearfulness had already rendered the well-known accounts of God fighting for Israel a foggy dream, rather than a reality. Fear likewise attacks us. What are the stakes and how much will be lost? Will we be labeled inept, irresponsible, liable, foolish? When the stakes are high, it is almost impossible not to act when our inner voice is screaming, “Do something!!” It is clear when we give in to that voice that our confidence is not in God, but in ourselves.
The purpose of the test is to determine if we are ready to partner with God in Kingdom affairs. From the beginning, God demonstrated His desire to partner with man. He created the animals, but had Adam name them. God designed the Garden of Eden in all its beauty, then gave it to man to tend. The God/man unequal partnership has always had God doing the heavy lifting, assigning man the role of listening and obeying. Mutual trust is key to this operation. So, it is ironic that we don’t trust God’s heart of love and truth; the very action that exposes our own unfaithfulness and lack of trustworthiness. Remarkably, God continues to pursue partnership.
Focusing on the amazing reality of partnering with God takes the pressure off our tendency to panic and react. There is no one like Him Who lives outside of time, knowing the end from the beginning and every detail in-between. If God is waiting, He knows there is time. When He gives instruction, He knows what is required and has appropriately divided responsibilities. We are not to do His part, and He won’t do ours. The enemy’s destructive work that takes place in our panic is completely thwarted by our obedience. Now that is doing something!
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)