Zero to Hero in 3 days
“And I’m here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel’s hopes.” -1 Samuel 9:20
Samuel the prophet speaks the above words to him. Saul, you are the hope the entire nation is looking too. What pressure that must have been for a young man. Which, is in fact, exactly what Saul says,
“I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?” -I Samuel 9:21
Can you imagine the pressure Saul felt? Can you imagine the energy that pulsed through his body when Samuel spoke these words to him, and then continued to confirm his belief Saul was chosen by God? It must have been simultaneously a blessing and burden on Saul.
If you remember the story, Saul starts strong, but he finishes a wreck. The burden of being the focus of hope destroyed him.
We are the focus of ALL hope!
Take a deep breath. You may want to sit down.
You too are the focus of ALL hope.
You may not be the focus of hope for an entire country (maybe you are!), but you are the focus of ALL hope for a family, business, organization or similar tribe of people. Now take a moment to let that sink in. It’s true isn’t it. It’s both a blessing and burden at the same time.
Being the focus destroyed Saul. Does it need to destroy you too?
The answer is, of course, no. How? How do you keep the focus and attention from destroying you?
The way to be successful is easy to say but much harder to do. It’s why out of dozens of kings in Israel, only a handful were successful.
The key is presence…God’s presence.
When we move forward with the presence of God in our lives, the focus of hope is a blessing. We operate in our gifts. We operate in our call. It’s like the scene in the movie The Matrix – Neo clearly sees everything happening around him. It’s no longer a mystery.
When we move with the presence of God, we are in the ‘zone’.
So many times, the Bible tells of Saul making decisions outside the presence of God. This is when the focus of Israel’s hopes becomes a burden on him. Reading Saul’s story you can almost see him physically shrink.
The focus is too much…it’s a burden.
Be in God’s presence.
The answer (being in God’s presence) sounds so simple, but walking through it can be so hard. Let me give 4 helpful ways to be in and stay in God’s presence.
- Be intentional. Minutes, hours, days, weeks can go by if you don’t intentionally work to experience the presence of God.
- Read. It doesn’t have to be long, but find or create a daily schedule of reading God’s Word (see the links to a few on bible.com).
- Be quiet. This is the hardest part…listening. We can’t be directed by God if we don’t listen for His voice (softly and still in our hearts).
- Act. When God speaks, move. Be obedient. Do what He says. This is where Saul failed more than any other place.
You are needed. Hope relies on you. Be in God’s presence.
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