A jet pilot friend of Os Hillman once told him that whenever a jet goes out of control and begins to spin, the only thing to do is totally take your hands off the controls and the plane will right itself. This goes against our natural inclination to control and manipulate in order to bring things back under control. It is scary to be out of control. Or is it?
Saul was a man out of control. He was losing control of his kingdom to David. He was losing the favor of God and the people. It began as compromises. Eventually he was given a final test to obey the voice of God fully. He was instructed to kill the Amalekites completely; but he failed to follow through. The prophet Samuel delivered a hard word to King Saul, "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king" (I Sm. 15:26). Saul obeyed partially, but not fully. It was partial obedience that led to his removal as king of Israel and his calling from God. Why did Saul do such a thing? "I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them" (I Samuel 15:24b). Saul's fear and insecurity made him more afraid of the people and what they thought than of God. At the core of Saul's disobedience was fear of losing control. That fear led to partial obedience and the loss of his reign as king. I Samuel 15:23 says, "For rebellion is like the sin of occult practices, and arrogance like the evil of idol worship. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king." How many of us, I wonder, are in danger of losing God's blessing due to partial obedience? How many of us have such a need to control people and circumstances that we fail to fully walk in obedience to God's voice in our lives? Saul provides a great lesson for us as workplace believers. The need to over control things around us can prevent us from receiving all that God has for us.
It is human nature to control. But being obsessed with control can throw you OUT of control. During the hard first ten years of our married life, this description fit me perfectly...and I still must keep a careful eye on it. The Lord broke my controlling spirit with only a few words as I was emotionally praying about how awful my husband was and what needed to change in him. "Take your hands off him. As long as you are trying to control him, I can do nothing." It was time for me to back off the criticisms and comparisons. That evening I asked him for a moment of his time. I'm relatively sure he thought he was in trouble again. =} Poor guy. But what he heard was something he never expected. An apology and a plea for forgiveness and patience while I endeavored to do as the Lord had instructed. The Lord was faithful to his word.
"To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." (I Samuel 15:22b)
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