God's Glory Church

How often have you and I had to wait for someone? You wait, and the person is delayed or deliberately late. You no longer find a place for yourself, constantly looking at your watch, trying to call on your mobile… A familiar picture, isn’t it? Very often you and I were in the place of someone who was late, and just as often we were the person who expected someone else. It is not very pleasant to be late, and even more unpleasant to be the person who arrived on time, but is forced to wait for someone else. It is even harder to wait when delay can cost the life of another person, or you may not be able to catch a train or minibus because of your friend’s lateness. After all, everything has its price and its consequences.

What should we do when situations occur in life where we really need help from God, but it seems that He is late, or maybe will not come at all. Can this really happen and what does scripture say about it? That’s what we’ll talk about today.

In the 13th book of Kings we can read a story that reminds us very much of the situation our country finds itself in today. Israel was attacked by the Philistines, the Israeli army fled, the prophet was delayed, and King Saul rushed about in panic, because fewer and fewer soldiers remained with him. The situation is dire and there seems to be no way out. But a little earlier, the prophet Samuel commanded King Saul: “And you go before me to Gilgal, … wait until I come to you, and then I will show you what you should do.”(1 Sam. 10:8) All Saul had to do was wait! But how hard it is to wait when everything is only getting worse.

So often waiting is one of our hardest tests, and it was this test that Saul failed. God wanted to hear Saul say, “God will keep His word. Not a single word from Samuel’s mouth fell to the ground unfulfilled, God said that I must wait, and I will wait.”
But pride and unbelief whispered to him: “God doesn’t mean that. Maybe what I heard is wrong.” Instead of standing on the Word of God, we try to figure things out on our own. Lying in bed at night we say: “Lord, this is how I see this can be done.” But can a person without God do anything logical and reasonable when God’s Word has not instructed him. If you want to prove something to the Lord, first prove to Him that you will wait patiently for Him before you act.

“But Samuel said, What have you done? Saul answered: I saw that the people were scattering from me, and you did not come at the appointed time; The Philistines gathered together at Michmash; Then I thought: “Now the Philistines will come against me in Gilgal, and I have not yet asked the Lord,” and therefore I decided to offer a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done badly, because you have not fulfilled the commandment of the Lord your God, which was given to you, for now the Lord would have established your reign over Israel forever; but now your reign cannot stand; The Lord will find Him a man after His own heart, and the Lord will command him to be leader of His people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:11-14)

Saul waited seven days, but the wait was not holy. He was impatient, he was angry, he was afraid. We must wait in faith, trusting that God cares for us and loves us, that He will come in His time. Waiting is so important that I have to show you some scriptures to prove it.

“And they will say in that day: Here is He, our God! We trusted in Him, and He saved us! This is the Lord; we trusted in Him; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation!”(Is. 25:9)

“For since the ages no one has heard, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen any other god besides You, who would do so much for those who trust in him.”(Is. 64:4)

Pay attention to these lines:“…you have acted badly in that you have not fulfilled the commandment of the Lord your God, which was given to you, for now the Lord would have established your reign over Israel forever…”

Saul could reign all his life, he only needed to fulfill the command of the Most High. But Saul took a different path…

A small sin leads to a major sin. This was the case in Saul’s life. Without waiting once, he again and again violated God’s commands and sadly ended his life. But God does not want you and I to repeat the story of Saul. Today, as then, He tells us: “Be sure to wait for Me, don’t rush, and you will definitely see a miracle in your “hopeless” situation!”