The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.  Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 1 Samuel 10:6-7

One of the things I love about the Bible is that it tells us about real people with real flaws and shows us how God interacts with them.

Take Saul, for example. The tallest and most handsome man in Israel, he was told by the prophet, Samuel, that he was to be Israel’s king.  Saul was more than a little shocked: “I’m only from…the smallest tribe in Israel and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?” (v. 21) But Samuel gave Saul a kiss and anointed him with oil. Saul went home and kept the whole thing a secret.

When coronation day arrived, Saul was nowhere to be found! So, they asked God, “‘Where is he?'” And God ratted Saul out: “He is hiding among the baggage.” There, crouching on the ground behind bags and bundles, was the man who stood head and shoulders above anyone else: God’s choice to be king over His chosen people. “This is the man,” said Samuel, “the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him.” Hiding among the baggage.

It’s easy for us, like Saul, to hide from the purpose God has for us, among the baggage of our lives. Even after God has called us into relationship with Him, we may still experience fear and doubt. Yes, even if we stumble (keep reading Saul’s story in 1 Samuel 10), God can still use us!

 

Resource Reading: 1 Samuel 9:1 – 10:1-26