Walking With God
The assignment seemed ridiculous to most of us. Four hours? Our professor of spiritual life asked us to do something most of us had never done before. Now that I look back it is sad how dismayed we were considering it was a class full of potential pastors. The assignment was simple. Spend four hours in prayer. No music, no journaling or writing your thoughts. No preparing a devotion. Try not to get sucked into chasing theological rabbit trails. Just open your Bible and pray. Ive never forgotten it.
Personally relating to God through prayer is about the most essential thing a Christian does. Lets call it "walking with God".
When walking with someone else you walk the same pace. Otherwise, you walk alone. Walking with God is seeking His will, His ways, and His character to emulate him. Prayer is actively trying to walk with God -- making sure I am not going on a walk alone. Prayers helps us slow down to ensure His will is my will.
This is what King Saul refused to do. Saul was made King by God and then called to wait on God. But He didn't wait.
1 Samuel 10:8 Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”As a King Saul was to walk with the Lord, wait on the Lord. But Saul didn't wait as long as God asked him.
1 Samuel 13:8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
Its ironic. Saul could have sought the favor of he Lord without the sacrifice. Saul thought the way to seek God's favor was by sacrifice. But favor was actually found through waiting on the Lord -- obedience. Saul's "sacrifice" (his worship and reverence) should have been in the waiting not the offering. His waiting on God would have been his most ritual act. Imagine being remembered for only that, "Enoch walked with God..." (Gen 5:22).
The people of God walk with God. Four hours is a good goal at doing something you didn't think you could do. Try it? Go for it! Four hours. Just read and pray. But more important is the principle behind it. Walk in faith by walking with God. This tell us how and why we read our Bibles. We don't read our Bibles to offer God a sacrifice like Saul. Our reading is waiting, reading to let God speak with us. Reading is waiting to go forward with God's word correcting us, counseling us, encouraging us, and teaching us. Remember what God said to Saul, "Wait...until I come to you and show you what to do". This is why we wait for God and walk with God. This way, we know what to do. Are you going through life waiting until God shows you what to do? Pray, read, & repeat.
Nathan
