What Is God Doing?

 “for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5b

Have you ever been in a set circumstances that you just can’t understand? Someone has said something or done something that makes no sense and you are left wondering what on earth is going on?

I recently did a study of 1 Samuel and I was thinking today about how Saul hid when they were looking for him to crown him as King. Samuel had already anointed him and told him that he would be the first King of Israel. (1 Samuel 9). Samuel called all of the tribes of Israel together to appoint the king before all of them. Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin, the youngest of the sons so the last to be called. When they get to his name he is not in the picture, he has hidden himself among some baggage.

I thought about how all the people in all the tribes had stood while Samuel rebuked them for rejecting God and insisting on a King. He had them divide into tribes and then chose the Benjamites by lot. They had to wait and I’m sure they were excited to know who it would be as they had insisted on a King (1 Samuel 8). And Saul hides from them? The people had to be wondering why a man would act like this!

1 Samuel 10:21b – 24 says, “He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. So they inquired again of the LORD, “Is there a man still to come?” and the LORD said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.’ And all the people shouted, ‘Long live the king!’” (1Samuel 10:21-24)

When I first studied this passage I wondered about the man, Saul. What kind of false humility allows a person to let all those others wait around while they look for him and then “Inquire of the Lord?” As I went back through the verses the really amazing part was what God was doing. When the Israelites called to Him He was right there ready to help. He had instructed Samuel to rebuke the people for wanting a King because it was a rejection of God’s rule. But, when they called on Him He answered them and told them where to find their King.

The lesson here seems to be that though God’s people had rejected Him they had to acknowledge that they were unable to do anything without Him – even find a man who has hidden from them! God did not step out and tell them or move Saul forward in some mysterious way. He waited until His people inquired of Him and then He told them where to find their King.

In our situations in this life where we are confused about our circumstances or what other people are doing or saying do you or I take the time to wonder what God is doing? Do we ask HIM to point out the problem or show us what is hidden? Even when we face criticism, do we ever think to ask God to show us if the other person is right or partially right?

From a human perspective it looked silly for Saul to hide as if he were a child. Because he did, the people got to see a picture of their total dependence on God for the smallest things. So, let’s look at our circumstances and ask only one question: What is God doing? If we ask Him He’ll show us, just as He did His people who requested a human King over a Sovereign God.