Patient In the Wilderness (1 Samuel 24: 1-7)

Wilderness • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Introduction

Welcome back for week two of our series we started last week, “Wilderness.” Now, if you were here last week, you heard a little bit about this wilderness concept in scripture, especially the first aspect of the wilderness: testing.

We learned that even Jesus had a season in the wilderness, where He was tested. Satan came to Him and tried to trap Him in temptation and weakness, ultimately wanting to lead Him into sin. However, Jesus stood firm on the word of God. Jesus’ example reminds us that the word is powerful and effective for battling temptation.

The wilderness can often feel like a lonely place. We feel as if we are isolated and all alone. The wilderness by definition is the place of isolation.

Jesus knew His Father was with Him.

Jesus knew God had a plan for His life, but it would be enacted on the Father’s timetable in His own ways. And today, the same is true for us.

Today, we are going to look into a story all about being patient in the wilderness.

When have you been patient in a struggle?

When was a time you have been impatient?

What was the outcome of those different situations?

Illustration: Everyone pull out their phones. go to the search engine, search the same thing, and raise your hand when it has loaded. The point is that we live in an “immediate” type of culture.

Because of things like our phones, we have the option to have many things in life immediately.

Almost anything we need is at the push of a button and conveniently, arrives in 2 days or less.

But what if there is wisdom in the waiting?

What if God intends to teach us something in our season of wilderness by granting us patience?

Main Teaching

If you have a Bible with you, please turn with me to 1 Samuel 24.

This is in the Old Testament, and we are going to look at the story of two key historical figures, Saul and David.

Now, at this time in scripture, David was chosen as the next king of Israel, but currently, Saul is still in this position.

Feeling as if David was coming for his spot, Saul tries to hunt David down to kill him. Our story picks up in verse 1, in the middle of this pursuit.

Read 1 Samuel 24:1-7

This story has a lot of moving pieces happening all at once. So, as we break it down together, here’s the first thing we have to realize about having patience in seasons of wilderness.

Patience Gives Perspective

Much of this life has to do with viewing our situation through the right lens.

Story: There are tough times in your life when you’ve experienced negative emotions because of the lens you viewed a situation through.

In this story, David chooses to see Saul’s pursuit of him through a specific lens.

As we said earlier, the Bible tells us David is anointed as the next king of Israel.

But God was inviting him to wait, as it was not yet His perfect timing. So, when David chose to wait, to have patience, he gained the right perspective.

David easily could have killed Saul, knowing that Saul was trying to kill him.

The Bible says this was an opportunity for David to do so. His men looked at him in the cave and said, “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.”

However, David only cut off part of Saul’s robe rather than killing him.

And look at his response to his men after doing this, “I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.”

You see, David gained in the waiting what many of us here today are desiring: perspective.

I wonder what kind of wilderness you find yourself in right now. Maybe, as we talked about last week, you are being tested and refined.

Maybe you are running from something like David was.

Maybe you feel like you’re wandering around without purpose because of that same sin you keep running back to, not knowing how to find freedom.

Maybe you don’t know why you’re in the wilderness, and you simply need to be patient for the Lord to bring you through and do what He needs to do in your life.

It’s incredible to observe that while Saul was chasing after David, David was pursuing God with all he had.

In the Psalms, we hear about how David was constantly consumed with his heavenly Father.

He brought all his needs, burdens, and struggles before God, inviting Him to meet him in the middle of them.

And the more and more time he spent with God, the greater perspective he gained for his situations.

So maybe for you, in the middle of your wilderness, in order to have perspective, you must live into patience.

The word of God will help you gain this perspective, if only you will dedicate time to reading it, and meditating upon it.

But, once David gained perspective, he had to come to another conclusion.

Patience Requires Perseverance

Perspective is what patience gives.

Perseverance is often what patience requires.

And so your question today maybe, “How was David persevering in this story?

It seemed like his mind was made up, he knew he didn’t want to kill Saul.”

I would argue that his perseverance was one internally, constantly deciding to not harm Saul. Because you see, this was not the only time he had the chance to.

Read 1 Samuel 26:1-9

This is a very similar instance, where David once again spares Saul’s life.

He had to practice patience on more than one occasion. But it required perseverance.

Many of us have similar examples in our past with peer pressure.

It takes perseverance to stand up to pressure, especially when it’s coming from those close to you.

In David’s case, the men around him in both scenarios thought killing Saul would be the right thing to do in alignment with God’s will. However, David refused.

I believe David’s intimacy with God and God’s word allowed him to understand, on a deeper level, God’s heart.

And in these moments, God’s heart was to allow Saul to stay alive and on the throne of Israel.

Are there people in your life, even those who feel they know best, that are acting as distractions to you?

Their voices are tempting to listen to, and you know that acting upon their words won’t be terrible, but you sense that it just isn’t the best scenario.

I believe David wrestled internally and had to persevere each time internally with these same thoughts and feelings.

We have to be willing to say “no” to certain voices around us, and say “yes” to God’s voice.

However, the only way to discern God’s voice above the earthly noise is to gain intimacy with Him.

Are you spending time with Him in prayer, and in His word?

David knew that ultimately, his patience would stem from his commitment to following God at all costs and at all times.

And if we are able to do this, if we are able to grow in patience due to our proximity to God, what will we see in response?

I believe it’s the same thing David was able to see in response to his patience: God’s best!

We Will See God’s Best

Story: One of my favorite things to do is Barbecue ribs. It takes 30 minutes of prep time and 4 hours of cook time on the grill. People love my ribs! But one time I wanted to make Turkey legs on the grill. I looked all over for these turkey legs but couldn't find them. One day in the Grocery store my son Gabriel said “look Dad Turkey legs!” I made the purchase got home and began the process to prepare. Turkey Legs take 24 hours to Brine. I brined for 4 hours because I so wanted these turkey Legs. Let’s just say they were not good!

There are many options in your wilderness right now.

There are many avenues you could choose to walk down, that would produce a good, maybe even great result. But what if it wasn’t God’s best?

Often God’s best for our lives is found in the waiting. Isaiah 40:30-31 says;

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

It’s not easy to be patient. It’s not as fun to wait.

But the Lord renews our strength in the waiting and gives us the strength we need to persevere.

Conclusion

Regardless of what scenario you find yourself in right now, we are all tempted to take matters into our own hands.

We want a quick fix to our problem and immediate results. “Fear is a reaction, courage is a decision.”

And why shouldn’t we?

Quick fixes and immediate solutions are all around us every day.

But I believe today, through the story of David, God wants to rewire how we think about our wilderness.

He desires for us to be patient, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Even when it may seem like He is giving us what we’ve been asking for...what we’ve been praying for.

Here’s the question; Are you willing to wait?

Are you willing to wait on God’s best rather than what you think is good?

Learn to WAIT WELL!

Would you be willing to pray with me today, “God don’t move me until you’ve accomplished what you want in me.”