Be Still and know He is God

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

BE STILL AND KNOW HE IS GOD

1 Sam 14:16-23

16 Saul's lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. 17 Then Saul said to the men who were with him, "Muster the forces and see who has left us." When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there. 18 Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.)   19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand." 20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. 21 Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. 23 So the LORD rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.

NIV

There is much more to the story about the battle between Israel and the Philistines, but at this point, we are told that it was the LORD who rescued Israel that day. However, we are also seeing a mistake that Saul made concerning his inquiry of the LORD. He had Ahijah, the priest, bring the ark so that he could ask the LORD about what he was to do, but Saul could not wait for an answer from the LORD. He saw the total confusion within the Philistine camp and waited to take advantage, thus winning the battle. Perhaps he wanted the glory of the victory, but it was the LORD who won the victory, even with the impatience of Saul. The problem was that he wanted the priest to withdraw his hand, to stop seeking the counsel of the LORD. This is Saul’s downfall, for he does not wait for the LORD. We wonder how much we wait for the Lord? How much do we advance our position in life based on our own desires and use our abilities in an attempt to gain what we want? It would behoove us to be still and know that He is God. That being still implies that we do not advance without first seeking the guidance of the Lord. It also means that we wait until he gives us what direction we are to take. If we say that He is our Lord, then we are confessing he has absolute authority over us, which means we cannot do anything without his approval, and we should only do what he commands or directs us to do. This may not apply to the mundane things of life, as going to the store to buy food, getting gas in our car, or deciding which clothes we should buy, or any other of those daily chores of life. However, when it comes to our life paths, as to any career path, or job, where we live, what city, even the house, and where we attend worship, in other words, all the major decisions of life, we need to inquire of the Lord. Then, as we seek his direction, we need to stand still until we hear from the Lord. We have heard Christians say they assume they have a green light until God gives them a red light. That was the mistake of Saul, and we cannot afford that same error in judgment. At the same time, when the Lord speaks, however he speaks, we need to move according to his plan. He may speak to us through the Spirit who dwells within, he may speak in an audible voice, even appear to us in a vision, or he can speak to us through his divine word, impressing upon us the way we should go. We might have some success, in the view of the world, acting upon our own desires, but does that give us eternal success? Because Saul moved on his own counsel, God removed his kingship, anointing David as king, as God testified that David was a man after his own heart, and that he would do everything God told him. This has to be our story. We must stay the course the Lord has placed us on, not our own course. We know that whatever the Lord directs us, he will also empower us to walk accordingly. He will also provide all we need to walk the path he has laid out before us. The key is to be still and know that he is God.