Daily Devotional 8-25-26
The Danger of Moving Too Soon
Reading: 1 Samuel 13:5-14 - Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
“What have you done?” asked Samuel.
Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
Devotional: Saul saw the enemy assembling. He saw Samuel absent. He saw his men scattering. And then he acted. In 1 Samuel 13:5-14, we watch a king make a catastrophic decision not out of rebellion, but out of panic. Worry became his decision maker, and it cost him everything. When anxiety rises, the temptation to do something — anything — feels overwhelming. But sometimes the most faithful response is stillness. God's timing rarely matches our urgency. Before you send the message, end the relationship, or take matters into your own hands, pause. Ask God what he sees that you do not.
Reflection Question: Is there a situation in your life right now where worry is pressuring you to act before God has given you direction?
Reading: 1 Samuel 13:5-14 - Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
“What have you done?” asked Samuel.
Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
Devotional: Saul saw the enemy assembling. He saw Samuel absent. He saw his men scattering. And then he acted. In 1 Samuel 13:5-14, we watch a king make a catastrophic decision not out of rebellion, but out of panic. Worry became his decision maker, and it cost him everything. When anxiety rises, the temptation to do something — anything — feels overwhelming. But sometimes the most faithful response is stillness. God's timing rarely matches our urgency. Before you send the message, end the relationship, or take matters into your own hands, pause. Ask God what he sees that you do not.
Reflection Question: Is there a situation in your life right now where worry is pressuring you to act before God has given you direction?
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