Not Your Hands but God's Hands

When things don’t go right or we get afraid, it is easy for us to try to tackle things alone rather than to wait for God. (1 Samuel 13:8-13) Saul did things wrong by taking this into his own hands, but Gideon was the opposite way.
“And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.” – Judges 7:2.
It is interesting that the Lord says He doesn’t want Israel to be able to say that they saved themselves by taking matters into their own hands. Why did God say this? Because all glory belongs to Him and He knows just because they win one thing by themselves doesn’t mean they will win every time by themselves. God wanted His people to thrive and He knows the only way they can fully thrive is through His own hands. He establishes this way of living as to trust in Him as He is the only one strong enough for such tasks they would face in the future. Not only that but God knows that we are weak without Him and that doing things ourselves is a way the enemy can enter in. Our hands are the only ones that can be manipulated if we let the enemy do so. God’s hands cannot be manipulated but ours can. How is it that the enemy works in the world we live in? Through the deception and manipulation of people. Always make sure you aren’t doing things alone but rather partnering with God’s way and plan of action. Now, Gideon rather than panicking and giving into the circumstances, worshipped God!
“And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” – Judges 7:15.
Our response to circumstances is to be like Gideon’s response. Rather than scattering like chickens with their heads cut off, we ought to worship God. Now regarding Saul, the commandment was to wait for Samuel but he took matters into his own hands. Look at how Samuel responded.
“So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” – 1 Samuel 15:22.
Saul should have stuck to God’s commandment. Obedience to God will always lead you in the best direction you need to go. However, what happens when you take matters into your own hands? You go in your own direction and get in God’s way.
“A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.” – Proverbs 18:1.
When you isolate yourself from God’s plans, you seek only what you can desire and do through the work of your own hands. To visualize this, it would be as a person walking in front of God getting in His way and saying, “No no no! Let me do it!” That is a very bad idea. You forsake all wise judgment as you consider your way higher than God’s way which is straight up foolishness, and you stagger His plans only causing delays. So overall, don’t be like Saul taking matters into his own hands because he lost trust but rather be like Gideon who finds praise and worship within the most impossible situations trusting God’s plan and following that direction by partnering with Him and executing His ways.