After living on the island of Maui for a year it was time to get our car inspected. No big deal, I thought I would just pull into the nearest quick lube place and get it done quickly and easily, just like in Texas. By now I had noticed the apparent absence of such places on the island, so I inquired of local friends where the car inspection place was. And I received the standard Hawaii directions. Go down to the tallest palm, turn left at the big black rock and “he’s da place wit da red mailbox.” I learned quickly you can’t plug those directions into your GPS. When I finally found the inspection place, I also found about 10 people waiting in line. What? I’m not going to wait for a car inspection, I’ll go find another place. I found the other place…on the other side of the island, 26 miles and one hour away. I hobbled back to the inspection place, prepared to wait. Only now there was 15 people in line. If I could have only had a picture of my face in that moment.
In life you learn to wait. At the doctor’s office, at the DMV, at the grocery store, in traffic and on your wife (love you Margie). And the thing about waiting? It never gets easier. You see, we were not built with tons of patience. I’m not sure why, ask God. But I know it’s true, humans just don’t have a lot of patience. And speaking of, do you know that God knows this as well? Oh yes, God looks down at us scrambling all over the place trying to get our car inspected and just smiles at our lack of patience. And for this reason, God mentions patience to us over 70 times in 70 different verses. It seems as if God thinks patience is important.
Today in 1 Samuel 13 we will see a king’s struggle with just this topic. Saul is now in full swing as king and if you were a king during this age, you fought. Since the Israelites failed to clear out all their enemies from the promised land as God had instructed them, they now live with violent enemies on every side. Saul has fighting to do. He musters the first official Israelite army with 3,000 dedicated fighting men. But Saul soon finds himself in trouble, facing a Philistine force that was armed with chariots, swords, shields, and a really bad attitudes. Saul’s battle planning moves into a feverish pitch.
The perfect plan is laid out. Assemble the men, give them a great pep talk, let Samuel the priest give an offering to the Lord and then run out onto the battlefield and let God defeat those mean ol’ Philistines. We’ll all be back in time for Hot Pockets by noon. Great plan. But do you know how to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans. Samuel doesn’t show up to make the sacrifice and after 7 days of waiting, Saul’s patience runs out. He makes a major mistake and offers God the sacrifice Himself. A big no-no. You see, God was a firm believer in division of church and state in the OT. Only a priest from the tribe of Levi was allowed to make sacrifices to the Lord and even then, only when he was called by God. Saul was not a Levite and he was not a priest, he was a king and king’s cannot make sacrifices. Saul’s lack of patience got him into a real pickle.
In your own life has your lack of patience ever gotten you into a pickle? I know mine has. You see patience is a virtue of God and when we lack the ability to operate within it, we can falter greatly in our walk with Him. Let’s look at a few ingredients of impatience and as a result, a few products of it.
1) Impatience is selfish. Saul had a plan, and the plan revolved around what he wanted. When Samuel failed to show up at the appointed time, his desire for what he wanted overrode what God wanted and He simply barged ahead. We do the same thing in life. We carefully plan out our lives, all the t’s crossed and i’s dotted and then…wham! Life happens. What you do in these life moments has impact beyond belief. Do you wait on God or forge ahead? Do you stop, wait and pray or do you move ahead and salvage your plan the best you can? You know, just roll with it? God knows that our impatience is fueled by our own selfish desires and a selfish heart is hard for God to use.
2) Impatience breeds panic. As our plans disintegrate before our eyes, we panic. What now, what will happen, will I have money to pay my bills, will I lose my job, will I live through this? Panic can take us to dark places within seconds. Panic brings about irrational thoughts that will soon move to the forefront of your psyche. When you think about someone in a panic, you think about someone that is hyperactive, upset and well, going a little crazy. But when you think about someone in control, you think of calm, collected and peaceful. When Samuel didn’t show up to make the sacrifice at the appointed time, Saul panicked. The enemy was right outside, and the men were jumpy and scattering. His impatience bred panic and he acted irrationally.
3) Impatience brings fear. Fear is one of the biggest motivators in our world. We can fear just about anything that exists. Did you know that there are hundreds of clinically diagnosed phobias? Alektorophobia, fear of chickens. Coulrophobia, fear of clowns. And how about Nomophobia, heard of this one? The fear of being without cell phone coverage. You see, fear is a tool and satan has mastered it’s usage. When we operate in impatience, it breeds panic which in turn moves to fear. Panic is in the moment, but fear lingers well into the future. I can fear the year 2025 right now but I realistically cannot panic about 2025 right now. Saul feared the worst. I will lose the battle, possibly die or at the least, lose my kingdom. In his fear and impatience, He disobeyed God.
4) Impatience causes confusion. Have you ever been around someone that is greatly impatient? Maybe it was a boss or a co-worker. It’s just flat unnerving. Their behavior makes everybody else fidgety, it’s contagious. And an ingredient of that contagion is confusion. And folks, confusion is not good. God is not a God of confusion; He is a God of order. As Saul waited on Samuel, he started to panic and show fear and as result his men could sense it. Saul’s fear spread into contagious confusion. The men scattered and hid themselves in holes, rocks, caves, tombs, and cisterns. (1 Sam 13:6) Confusion is yet another tool used greatly by our enemy, satan.
As you think about God today, think about patience. And as you think about patience think about these verses:
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.” Psalm 37:7-9
“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.” Proverbs 15:18
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” Colossians 3:12
“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 5:7-8
May the Lord grant you great patience today. Patience with others, patience with the world and patience with yourself.
God Bless you.
