“When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid,
and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by
the prophets.”~ 1 Samuel 28:6, 7
Silence.
Saul’s last days approach as the
Philistines attack him. Even though he has experienced victory against the
Philistines as ruler of Israel, he is still afraid. He asks the Lord for help, but at this point, God no longer
responds to Saul.
Saul is about to die in this very
battle on Mount Gilboa. Saul drifts so far from the Lord. The humble young man
Samuel anoints as king has faded completely. The current Saul is driven by
hatred to kill the anointed king, David.
It is never a good thing when God is
silent. Better to have God rebuke and challenge and discipline than to be
silent. When God is working in someone’s life, it may be difficult, but that
means God is there in His transforming power. If God is silent, it is possible a
person’s sin or entanglements have created a great distance from God.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” God’s silence is not to be
confused with His still voice. You may not feel like God is there because you
are going through difficulty or you just don’t feel any emotions. Sometimes,
you may not feel like God is there. Cry out to Him. Open your Bible and ask Him
to show you Himself and speak to you. I guarantee you, He will!
Saul never learned the lesson of short
accounts. Today, we can immediately ask for forgiveness when we sin. God is so
ready to forgive and to speak us.
The Christian life is like a marathon.
In Hebrews 12:1, 2, the author says, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.”
In the marathon of life, Saul does not just stumble on the
path or take one wrong turn. If that were the case, he would have returned quickly
to the marathon. Rather, Saul takes one wrong turn, knows it is wrong and keeps
running for miles.
God is here. Listen to Him. Run with endurance and find an
unfading crown in the hands of Jesus at the finish line.
Blessings,
Robert
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