God's Timing, Not Ours
Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 24
“Some urged me to kill you, but … I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on … the LORD’s anointed.’”
1 Samuel 24:10
1 Samuel 16 records the story of Samuel anointing David to be king—the Lord’s anointed. And yet Saul also is God’s anointed. Now we find David running for his life from Saul, who is jealous. David is an obvious threat to Saul’s throne, and Saul has decided that the only way to deal with this threat is to eliminate it.
In today’s verses Saul enters a cave where David and his men are hidden. By cutting off a piece of Saul’s robe while the king doesn’t notice, David proves that he could easily have taken Saul’s life. But David regrets even this action against Saul.
“Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you?because [you are] the LORD’s anointed,” David says. Those words prompt Saul to drop his pursuit of David—for a time.
But if David knows he also is the LORD’s anointed, why not think that perhaps God placed Saul in the cave so that David could take Saul’s life and “hurry up” the process of becoming the next king? Because confidence in being the LORD’s anointed means trusting God’s timing, not one’s own.
In life we are often challenged to trust God’s timing. We want something now—but God seems to be in no hurry. Our impatience needs to be shaped by trust in God’s power and God’s schedule.
Dear God, please deepen my trust in your timing and your purposes. When I am anxious, help me to lean into you and not run ahead of you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Julius T. Medenblik
Rev. Jul Medenblik is a former attorney who was called to pastoral ministry and became the founding pastor of a church in New Lenox, Illinois. He is currently serving as president of Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jul and his wife, Jackie, are blessed with a son, Joshua, and a daughter, Julianne.
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