Message: In 1 Samuel 11 Saul has returned home after being anointed as king. He didn’t tell his uncle about his encounter and he had hidden himself when Samuel came to present him as king. He seemed to be trying to blend back in with his normal routine when an Ammonite man named Nahash came to threaten Israel. The people tried to negotiate with him and he agreed to let them discuss it for 7 days but his alternative plan wasn’t great. He gave them the choice to either let them kill Israel or gouge out one eye and live as their servants. When Saul caught wind of this the Spirit of God rose up in him and he gathered men and devised a strategic war plan. God was with them and they were successful so after that Saul felt confident leading, and those who had been skeptical accepted his leadership. What I took from this was that Saul didn’t know what to do with the anointing on his life until his path was filled with purpose. His confidence came in the very moment that it became necessary to take action for something bigger than himself. When he stepped out in confidence God was with him, when the people saw that God was with him they were with him too. I really believe this is how God confirms things in us too. We were all called to serve God’s purpose but if we don’t know what it is we will hide in the shadows. When we find ourselves in the middle of our purpose our confidence increases because we find ourselves fighting for something bigger than ourselves. When people see God working through us they begin to trust us too. The most important part is that we don’t ever stop our awe of fulfilling God’s purpose. As soon as we start trying to fulfill ourselves we run into trouble. Saul ran into trouble later on, but at this point he was humble before God and God was moving and working in him and through him.
