When Jonathan and Saul followed God’s plans, they succeeded. When King Saul took matters into his own hands and when his temper flared, things started to go wrong. Courage must be linked to faithfulness and obedience for God to honor the brave.
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
You can find the answer in 1 Samuel 13:1. What problems can come about when a leader stays in power for a long time? What might be some positive results of a leader being in power for a long time?
Saul couldn’t wait for Samuel to make the offering. His impatience led him to disobey God’s messenger. Sometimes it takes courage to be patient and trust that God will do what He promised. What kinds of things do you have a hard time waiting for? Have you ever tried to hurry things up on your own? What happened? Ask a parent or another family member what they have a hard time waiting for.
God, please honor me when I am courageous enough to wait on You. Give me wisdom to know when and how to take action. Amen.
It can take a colony of bees up to two months to make the honeycomb to store enough honey to feed themselves through a winter. Next time you see or eat some honey, think about the bees, and remember to “bee” patient for God’s goodness!