UNDER PRESSURE

• DAY 162
• FEAR FILES: KING SAUL
• SCRIPTURE: 1 SAMUEL 13

“The Philistines assembled to fight the Israelites; they had thirty thousand war chariots, six thousand cavalry troops, and as many soldiers as there are grains of sand on the seashore. They went to Michmash, east of Bethaven, and camped there. Then they launched a strong attack against the Israelites, putting them in a desperate situation. Some of the Israelites hid in caves and holes or among the rocks or in pits and wells; others crossed the Jordan River into the territories of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and the people with him were trembling with fear. He waited seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him to do, but Samuel still had not come to Gilgal. The people began to desert Saul, so he said to them, “Bring me the burnt sacrifices and the fellowship sacrifices.” He offered a burnt sacrifice, and just as he was finishing, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and welcome him,”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭GNT‬‬

Let’s examine the precarious situation that Saul was in. He was surrounded by an army that had more military power and might. Their armed men were as numerous as the sand of the seashore, imagine that for a moment and ask yourself what state of mind you would be in. Israel was terrified and desperate. Some of them started to japa, some hid in caves. Their fear was very rational and natural for any man in face of real danger that they had no way to overcome.

As a king, Saul had to watch the people express their lack of faith and trust in his capability to fight and win. As they fled Israel they inadvertently passed the message that they cannot hope in their king. And as if that were not enough the warriors with him were terrified as well. This can put any king under pressure.

Go With God

As is the custom of Israel, they don’t go to war without inquiring from God and offering sacrifices that purify them, remove defilement from their midst, and restore fellowship and peace with God, so God can come to fight them in that battle. They knew that it was unwise to Go to war without God if they intended not to die. So they always went with the ark of the covenant (that’s like going with God), the Urim, and Thummim (on the Ephod) to inquire about God’s will and animals for sacrifices.

This might be the place to tell you that even today, you cannot win any battle (or win in life) without these 3 things fulfilled. You cannot step into a fight if you and God aren’t on good terms. Your relationship must be checked, the sun must be set aside and you must be in the right standing with Him. Thankfully, Christ has made a way for us to always be in right-standing. You also need to know what God’s will is about that thing you are set to do. You need to enquire about His strategy. Because His presence follows His agenda.

Too Little, Too Late

With all the pressure and fear in the air, they had to wait for these 3 things to correspond before they proceeded. And with any army that huge, victory was impossible without God. Yet, Samuel decided to take his sweet time showing up. For those 7 days Saul waited, he had to calm a terrified army. And I can tell you for free that terrified people are not the easiest to manage. Every time they wanted to leave he’d calm them down with the promise of Samuel’s arrival and now it’s the 7th day and Samuel is MIA and the terrified warriors were deserting their post and walking away. This can destabilize any king. Saul could no longer wait and he took laws into his own hands. The moment he did, here comes Samuel.

Has it ever happened to you that just as you succumbed to pressure and did what you shouldn’t have, you found the solution? Just as you did things your way, you discovered what God had prepared. If only it had come yesterday or even moments ago. And now what you have done is too late to be undone and you are stuck with the regret of your hasty actions. And you ask yourself, “Why didn’t I wait?” Desperation got the best of you, fear got the best of you and you can just feel that heavy weight of regret.

Wait

Beloved, pressure comes with life and it intensifies as you get closer to your time of breakthrough. But fear doesn’t have to grip your heart. Wait! If I’m being honest I have succumbed to many pressures that I cannot list here if I intend for this devotional to end. And every single time, it was a mistake. I have learned that the more pressure I feel the more I should lean on God. And I trust the Holy Spirit to remind me of that daily.

If you feel pressure right now, God is saying “Hold on a little longer, I’m coming to save you. I am never late, I am always on time and whatever you lose waiting for Me is not meant to be with you when I bless you, so let it go. Your wait will be worth it.”

Shalom