Be Present To His Presence
BRD REFLECTIONS:
1 Samuel 14:24-52; 15, Psalm 53 (NIV)
(Tony Chan, CIC Facilitator)
READ:
1 Samuel 14:24-52; 15:1-35 (NIV)
As I read the passages, I imagined what Saul would have thought.
OBSERVE:
I am Saul, the anointed King of Israel. I will be victorious! I am sure God wants me to finish the task now instead of turning to Him for counsel.
I curse any man who eats and does not give chase.
Alas! Why did my foolish men eat meat without first draining the blood?! Nevertheless, I will build the altar as an act of worship to God, this is surety for my God’s continued favour granted to me.
Why does the priest have to make me pray at this crucial moment so close to victory?! See! God has no answer! I will make a vow of death to the sinner even if it is my son. What? It is indeed my son?! Let him die!
God is certainly with me in all my military successes! And I am sure God would not mind me keeping the good stuff from this conquest.
I am such a symbol of God’s favour so I shall build a monument for myself. Now what is Samuel complaining about? All right, I will sacrifice the good stuff to God if it pleases Him!
O forgive me, God! They are the ones who have caused me to sin! But please let me not lose face before my people by showing them that I still worship You.
APPLY:
I find my heart saddened by the state of Saul’s heart. A familiar verse comes to mind:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, NKJV)
Truly God and God alone knows my heart. I am reminded that I need to be conscious of God’s presence in all of life, and humbly surrender my heart for Him to examine my faith. And by His gracious love, I will be saved from deceitfulness and wickedness.
DO:
I will be present to God in this time and space. I will be present to God in my thinking, doing, relating to others, and being. I will listen to His heartbeat and soft prompting. And I will respond in obedience.
PRAY:
My breath prayer is “You are my shepherd, I shall not want. Amen.”
