Saul, is That You?
- Alita N. Baggett
- Nov 2, 2015
- 3 min read
In the book of 1 Samuel, chapters 9 and 10, we meet Saul.
As the Bible describes him, when he was chosen by God to reign as king over the Israelites, he was found looking for his father’s lost donkeys. After seeking out the prophet Samuel about the lost donkeys, Saul gets some unexpected news: he has been chosen by God to be the new king of the Israelites! Samuel, after breaking this news to Saul, then proceeds to tell him that the things that he will encounter the next day will serve as confirmation to him that he has indeed been chosen. The Bible even says that at one point, when Saul met up with the prophets as he was prophesying, those that knew him made the statement; ”How on earth did Saul get to be a prophet?” After Saul made it back to his father’s house, his uncle was the first one to inquire about how his search and rescue went, but the scriptures state that while Saul told his uncle about the donkeys, he intentionally left out the rest of the story. When it was time for Saul to be presented to the people, Saul hid! He ran away! But the prophet found him. Even when he was found, there were still people around who implied that he had no business being king and it would never last.
How many times have we “pulled a Saul?” Getting the unexpected news that we’ve been chosen to a higher calling, something that, if it were our choice we would not have chosen it for ourselves because of where we’ve been in our life. How many times after receiving the call, instead of telling the whole story to a friend or family member, we only tell half of it; we leave out the part about hearing God’s voice calling us into our gifts and ministries. Or, it’s been time for us to be revealed to the people by God and we run and hide, only to eventually be found.
As I write this, I laugh at myself because I see so much of Saul in me. I am not exempt. In the end, after all the hiding and leaving out parts of the story, the fact still remains that we have been called by The Most High God. We still have an obligation to fulfill until the Lord says otherwise. Yes, there will be people who will laugh at you, say that you have no business doing what it is you are doing, and will even tell you that you heard God wrong and you won’t last! But I say to you that the devil is a lie and everything that God said about you and told you about yourself will indeed come to pass! In verses 26 and 27 in the 10th chapter of the same book, the Bible calls those who wouldn’t congratulate Saul on his new position “riffraff”. (The Message Remixed)
Now, if the Bible calls the people that doubted what God ordained over Saul by that name, what do you think he’s calling those who are looking for you to fail? Does God not have your back? Who called who? Did you call God or did God call you?
No, you don’t have it all together, no one does. You may not even have the experience to go with the calling. But as Job states, “True wisdom and real power belong to God, from him we learn how to live, and also what to live for…Strength and success belong to God; both deceived and deceiver must answer to Him. He strips experts of their vaunted credentials, exposes judges as witless fools.” (Job 12.13-25, The Message Remixed)
Let them talk; they can’t move you out of what you’ve been called to. Let them try and see how God deals with them. Remember the battle is not yours, it’s the Lord’s.
So, let me ask again:” Saul, is that you?”
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