Me, Are You Sure God?

Me, Are You Sure God?

1 Samuel 9:18-21 & 1 Samuel 10:1 “Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?” “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart.  As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?”  Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?” Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?”

When I was reading over the scriptures for the week this one caught my eye because Saul says something I can picture each one of us saying.  Saul has set out in search of these 3 donkeys that are missing.  This interaction picks up when he gets to Samuel’s house.  He is looking for Samuel because he is a seer.  A seer is a perceiver of hidden truth according to one site I found online.  Samuel says Saul is to eat with him and then will go on his way in the morning.  Samuel then drops this crazy idea on Saul that Israels future lies in his hands.  Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?” This is where I think we can all relate.  

Saul has just been told, “And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?”  Basically the future of Israel lies in Saul’s hands and he instantly questions his worthiness.  Have you ever done this?  Have you ever wanted to go for a promotion at work and yet worried you weren’t good enough for it?  Have you ever had someone tell you that you would be perfect for some position, whether paid, or volunteer and you wonder what they see in you that made them think that?  I know I have.  I went to a retreat once, and they were looking for people to be on the executive board for the European region.  It was my first retreat with the group.  I had been a part of the local groups for a few years.  The women I had met at the retreat were saying if no one else wanted the positions maybe we should help out.  

I instantly wondered if I could do it.  Didn’t you have to be pretty holy to be on the executive board of a large Catholic organization?  What if they knew how flawed I am?  What if they realized I don’t know nearly as much as anyone else does about our faith?  What if’s kept running through my head.  When we were talking about it at dinner, we were discussing what experience we had either in a job setting or in a volunteer setting.  I mentioned I had several years experience volunteering on the executive boards of several spouses groups.  I had pretty much done all the various roles.  I will never forget one of the women said, I could have guessed that.  I wondered what about me made her think that.  To me I just saw my self as a mom of three boys.  Someone who helps out wherever needed.  I didn’t think I did anything too important.  I mean I know mothering is important. Its just, sometimes in the grand scheme of things, when mothering is your full time job, it can start to feel like you aren’t important. I am not sure if that makes sense to everyone, but I know some of you have probably felt that way before.  It was nice to have someone else affirm that she knew I could do it.  

I had only spent two days or so with this woman and she could see things in me that I couldn’t see.  Why is it that others can see things in us that we can’t see?  Why do others see the best in us and we not only can’t see it, we often struggle to believe it when they call it out in us?  Saul was struggling to believe he was worthy of this amazing thing Samuel called out in him.  He answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?” All Saul could see was where he came from.  He saw his family status, he saw his place in the clan, he saw all he lacked.  He didn’t come from the best family, he didn’t have the status, he didn’t see what Samuel saw in him.  However, Samuel was a seer, he could see the hidden truths.  Samuel was able to see what God had in store for Saul.  He was able to look to the future and see all Saul was capable of doing.  

I know Saul didn’t have the benefit of the Bible.  I am sure some of the stories of God had been passed down through the generations, but he did’t have the benefit of the complete Old and New Testament.  If he did he would have been able to realize that God rarely, if ever, uses those with perfect family blood lines.  He rarely, if ever, uses the person you are I would pick for Him to use.  God tends to pick the broken to do His work.  God chooses people not based on how we see them, but on how He sees them.  God chooses people for a particular purpose and your status, your family, your job, your reputation, none of that will exclude you out if God wants you.  I was mentioning to Tony yesterday about how Saul was on his way to capture and put in jail anyone who believed in Jesus Christ and God gave him a vision and he was baptized just a few days later.  Saul consented to the stoning of Stephen, a beloved follow of Jesus, and he was not excluded from God’s glory.  He was not excluded from helping to build up the kingdom of God here on earth.  Saul is just one example, but there are so many.  Even within the 12 apostles there was Matthew who was a tax collector, Simon who was a zealot and Judas who was a thief.  

I know you don’t think you are worthy of the call God is placing on your life, answer that call anyway.  God will be there every step of the way to give you all you need.  I know you don’t feel comfortable believing the great things people call out in you, believe them anyway.  I know it can be uncomfortable to call out the wonderful things you see in others, call them out anyway.  You never know how much it could mean to that person.  You never know if that thought that you had about that person is something God put in your mind for you to share it for Him.  We need to build people up.  This world does a great job of tearing people down.  What if we did a great job of building people up?  What if we called out the good we see in others even if we think they already see it.  What if God is using us to tell that person something that He has been telling them and yet they just couldn’t hear it?  God loves you, he is choosing you for something right now, can you say yes?  I asked God one time, why me, and he said why not you.  He sees incredible things in each one of us.  He is choosing you and He has His reasons, trust that The One True God, the God almighty, The Maker of Heaven and Earth did not get it wrong.  Trust He knows what He is doing and say “Yes Lord, Yes, Lord, Yes, Yes, Lord.”

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we love you and we are sorry to question you.  We are sorry we struggle to believe you would really use us.  We are sorry we struggle to see how wonderfully you made us.  We say yes Lord, even if we don’t understand why you chose us, we say yes.  We say yes even if we don’t think we are worthy because we know if you call us for something you will also equip us for it.  Lord, please help us to call out the wonderful things we see in others.  Give us the boldness to follow your promptings and share them with others.  We love you Lord, you are amazing.  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you and so do I! Have a blessed day!

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