Obedience

OBEDIENCE
by Barbara Chadwick


To obey is better than sacrifice. (I Samuel 15:22)

Heavenly Father, I ask You to give me wisdom and discernment in reading Your Word.
In I Samuel 13:7-9 we read about how Saul took matters into his own hands. How human!

I'm so critical of Saul when I read about him however, when I think of how many times I have taken matters into my own hands - just reacting to a situation - and not taking the time to stop and pray and seek God's face about it, I feel pretty sure I would have acted in the same way Saul did in this circumstance. Look at the situation as Saul saw it:

In verse 6 - "the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and their army was hard pressed. They hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns."

Verse7b - "all the troops were quaking with fear."

Verse 8 - "He (Saul) waited seven days, the time set by Samuel" This is a most critical time. Just when we think the time is up - we need to wait some more!

"but Samuel did not come. Saul's men began to scatter."

Verse 9 - "So he, (Saul) said, bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offering." When we think we're in charge our brain says, "It's up to me!"

Verse 11 - "Samuel said, 'What have you done?'" God is speaking through Samuel here.

Verse 13 - "You acted foolishly. You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you."

Many times Saul made desicions on his own, on his own knowledge and what seemed right to him at the time. I'm afraid I do the same thing.

But, we need to remember the words of Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 32:7-8:
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord, our God to help us and to fight our battles."

So whether the battle is a physical one involving others or a spiritual one within us we must be obedient. First, before all things, we must call upon the Lord, our God to show us the way. Then we need to wait upon Him.

The Psalmist said, "Wait for the LORD; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the LORD." (Psalms 27:14)

Dear Heavenly Father,
I'm sorry, Lord. I need Your hand to guide me. I ask You to forgive me. I need Your Presence to nudge me at those times and cause me to hesitate. Make Yourself known to me. I want to follow Your leading. I want to be Your servant.

To obey is better than sacrifice. I Samuel 15:22