Kindly, Kayla 🌼

If you know me, then you may know that every time I get in the car, I fall asleep immediately. When my family is driving home from church, my dad always jokes and says, “Go ahead and go to sleep,” because he’ll be trying to talk about his sermon, but he can already see in my eyes that I’m about three seconds away from knocking out. I don’t know if it’s the movement of the car or if it’s just my sleepy girl nature, but what I do know is that it takes faith to be able to sleep so soundly under someone else’s care. I’ve been a passenger of my dad’s driving my entire life, so my body clearly feels safe when I’m in the car, so much so that I immediately fall asleep.

On another note, I was out with my friend the other day, and we were talking about obedience, surrendering to God, and not taking matters into our own hands. I thought about Saul’s disobedience in 1 Samuel 13. For context, the Philistines assembled to fight Israel with soldiers “as numerous as the sand on the seashore.” The Israelites became afraid and decided to hide in caves, thickets, pits, and cisterns. Saul, the first king of Israel, was supposed to wait seven days for the prophet Samuel to arrive and offer sacrifices to God before battle. However, Saul grew impatient while waiting for Samuel to arrive and decided to offer the burnt offering himself. Let’s read the passage together below:

⁵ The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand^[c] chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. ⁶ When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. ⁷ Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. ⁸ He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. ⁹ So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. ¹⁰ Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

¹¹ “What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, ¹² I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

¹³ “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

1 Samuel 13:5-14 NIV

Instead of waiting on Samuel to arrive and following the instructions by waiting the seven days Samuel had set, Saul decided to take matters into his own hands by offering the burnt offering himself. Firstly, this is wrong because Saul was a king, not a priest, and only priests were to offer sacrifices. His excuse was that because of Samuel’s delay, he felt compelled to do it himself. Mind you, just as Saul finished offering the sacrifice, Samuel arrived.

How often do we get tired of waiting on God and take matters into our own hands? This could apply to any situation in your life. Maybe you’re tired of waiting on God for that relationship you’ve been praying for, and you’re considering settling for someone outside of God’s will. Or maybe you’re waiting for healing, but instead of waiting on God to give you clarity on your next steps, you accept a quick fix that could end up doing more harm than good. Whatever you could be waiting on may be right around the corner. Imagine missing out on that blessing because of impatience!

Later in the passage, we see that because Saul did not keep the command God had given him, his kingdom would no longer endure. If he had kept it, God would have established his kingdom over Israel. But God was ultimately seeking someone after His own heart, and later we find that person to be David.

When we’re in a tight situation, pressed on all sides like Saul felt, let this be a reminder not to take matters into our own hands. Instead, we should let God drive because ultimately He knows the best way through every situation. Even when we don’t understand why it may be taking so long- the healing, the breakthrough, the job, the peace, whatever it may be. Let’s obey even when it doesn’t make sense. Let’s be still and know that God is God. Let’s cast all of our burdens on Him because He cares for us.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7 NIV

Because ultimately,

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Proverbs 16:9 NIV

So let’s get into the car with our Lord and let Him drive, resting and trusting that He is keeping us safe. We may not know our final destination, and we may not know where we may have to stop along the way, but having Him behind the wheel should be enough for us to know that we are safe in His arms. Let us also not be backseat drivers. Let’s let Him drive and get us to where we need to be.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

I hope this encourages you as much as it has encouraged me.

Thank you so much for reading.

Kindly,

Kayla ♡