One Minute Before Midnight

ONE MINUTE BEFORE MIDNIGHT

We see in 1 Samuel 13 that Saul faced a crucial moment that every believer must
eventually confront. It is a time of crisis when we're forced to decide whether
we'll wait on God by faith, or get impatient and take matters into our own
hands.

Saul's pivotal moment came when ominous clouds of war were gathering over
Israel. The Philistines had amassed a huge army of horsemen, iron chariots and
legions of soldiers brandishing the latest weapons. By contrast, the Israelites
had only two swords in their entire army—one for Saul and one for his son,
Jonathan. Everyone else had to use makeshift weapons, such as wooden spears or
crude farm tools.

A week earlier Samuel had warned Saul to wait for him at Gilgal before going
into battle. The prophet had said he would arrive after seven days to make the
proper sacrifices to the Lord.

When the seventh day came and Samuel hadn't arrived, Saul's soldiers began to
scatter. Worse, the king didn't have God's direction for battle.

What approach did Saul take? Did he stand firm, declaring, "I don't care if it
takes Samuel eight days to arrive, I'm going to stand on God's Word to me. Live
or die, I will obey his command"? No—Saul panicked. He allowed himself to be
overwhelmed by his circumstances. And he ended up manipulating his way around
God's Word. He ordered the priest who was present to make the sacrifices
without Samuel and in so doing committed a grievous sin against the Lord (see 1
Samuel 13:11–12).

No—God is never too late. All along, the Lord knew each step Samuel was
taking toward Gilgal. He had set the prophet on a heavenly navigation system,
pinpointing his arrival to the very second. Samuel would be there by day seven,
even if it was one minute before midnight.

God has not changed throughout the ages. And he is still concerned with whether
his people obey this command: "Obey the voice of the Lord, and [do not] rebel
against the commandment of the Lord" (1 Samuel 12:15, paraphrased). It doesn't
matter if our lives are spinning out of control—we are to walk in total
confidence in the Lord. Even if things look hopeless, we are not to act in
fear. Rather, we are to wait patiently on him to deliver us, as his Word
promises.

The fact is, God stood right beside Saul as the massive Philistine army pressed
in. He knew the crisis Saul was in and his eye was on every detail.

Our God sees every detail of your crisis. He sees all the life-problems
pressing in on you. And he's fully aware your situation is getting worse daily.
Those who pray and wait on him with calm faith are never in any real danger.
Moreover, he knows all your panicky thoughts: "I don't see how I can ever repay
this debt…I don't have any hope for my marriage…I don't know how I can keep
my job…." Yet his command to you still holds true: "Don't panic or get ahead
of me. You are to do nothing but pray—and rely on me. I honor everyone who
puts his trust in me."

Consider these words God has given to his church: "Without faith it is
impossible to please him" (Hebrews 11:6). "Trust in him at all times; ye
people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us" (Psalm 62:8).
"Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield"
(Psalm 115:11). "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto
thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct
thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5–6).

Unbelief is deadly, its consequences tragic. And we face dire consequences if
we try to extricate ourselves from our trials instead of trusting God to see us
through them.

HINDRANCES TO GROWING IN GRACE

In Ephesians 4:31, Paul lists things we must remove from our lives if we are to
grow in the grace of Christ: "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice."

We dare not skip over these issues on Paul's list. The apostle says we
absolutely must face these things if we are to grow in grace. If you ignore the
heart issues Paul mentions here, you will grieve the Holy Spirit. Your growth
will be stunted, and you'll end up a spiritual zombie.

The first three items on Paul's list—bitterness, wrath and anger—are
self-explanatory. Bitterness is a refusal to let go of an old wound or forgive
a past wrong. Wrath is a stronghold of resentment coupled with a hope to gain
revenge. Anger is exasperation—either a quick explosive outburst or a slow
burn of indignation toward someone. Evil speaking are words that tear down—it
is the opposite of edifying someone or speaking words of edification; evil
speaking is malicious, hurtful.

Clamor is a sudden outburst over nothing—an unnecessary hubbub, a loud noise
made for no purpose. We cause a clamor when we make a big issue out of
something insignificant, or cause a scene rather than trying to help or heal.

The final item on Paul's list is malice. Malice is the desire to see someone
else suffer. For many Christians malice means hoping God will punish someone
who wounded them. It's a devilish spirit, and it's usually hidden deep within
the heart.

When Paul says "Put away all these evils from you," he's not talking about a
quick fix. He's describing a process—a matter of growth that takes time. At
times, we may fail at ridding ourselves of these evils. But if we will quickly
repent, and commit to making things right with the person, over time these
issues will fade away.