Word of Encouragement (3/2/2021)

Yesterday, we talked about how there are times when we cannot, and should not, just pray but also act. This is because what we do may very well be the very instrument by which God answers our prayer and accomplishes His purpose. But, of course, what we do and how we do it matters greatly. We can wait in all kinds of wrong ways.

We can desire what we are praying for so much that we venture to go against God’s law/instruction and sin. Consider one of the most famous examples of waiting for God in the wrong way. Samuel instructed Saul to wait for him seven days at Gilgal so he could come and offer sacrifices on behalf of Israel before they went out to war with the Philistines. According to 1 Sam. 13:8, we cannot be sure whether Saul waited full seven days or not before he offered sacrifices to God himself. But upon arrival, Samuel rebuked him for not keeping the command of the Lord (1 Sam. 13:13). This suggests that Saul did not wait the full seven days as he was commanded. It seems he felt desperate and grew impatient, seeing the Philistines gather for battle and growing in number, on the one hand, and the Israelites scatter in fear, on the other hand.

To his credit, Saul dared not engage the Philistines without seeking God’s favor by offering sacrifices (1 Sam. 13:12). But that is the irony, isn’t it? He sought the favor of the Lord by breaking His command! On a later occasion, Samuel rebuked Saul with these words: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams” (15:22). This shows why Saul was ultimately rejected. Saul is an example of being religious without the full commitment of the heart to God, or waiting for God without really trusting and relying on God.

Another famous example of a wrong way of waiting for God is Sarai and Abram. God promised to give them a son even though they were old and barren. But seeing that many years had gone by and she still had no child, Sarai resorted to the means of surrogacy and asked Abram to give her a child by her servant, Hagar. Her impatience made her misinterpret God’s promise to be far less than what it was for, something she can achieve with her resources, or the lack thereof—“Since what God promised seems too difficult to come true, God must have meant this, instead.” How sad! We also know what a mess this created not only for their marriage and family but also for the nation of Israel throughout their history. This is a warning against wanting something so much that we take matters into our own hands and mess up things spectacularly.

Is God saying to you, “Wait!”? Let us be patient in waiting, patient enough to pray persistently, patient enough to do what God calls us to do faithfully in the meantime, patient enough not to push the boundaries of what is right and honorable and permissible.