What Compels You?

We live in a world where things are constantly changing and chaos is unfolding. It is incredibly important to find our peace, Jesus, in such times. There are many voices trying to compel us but only one voice is true, good, and gentle to the heart. That is God’s voice and His Word.
“Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.” – 1 Samuel 13:8-13.
There is a lot here in this story but the summary of it is that Saul was waiting for Samuel to arrive at a set time but when Samuel was late, Saul doubted and took matters into his own hands by doing the sacrifice himself which is against the law as only priests were able to do sacrifices. Some may say Saul did a good thing by doing an offering before the Lord, but it was done wrong according to the law. The problem in this story is that Saul did things alone and took matters into his own hands. Why? Because it says that he felt compelled to. To be compelled to do something means to be forced or driven to do something because of pressure. Being compelled by pressure is a form of compromise. When someone or something tries to compel you to do something you need to ask yourself why. Be careful when compelling voices come for they always have an agenda. Discernment is vital in this area. Find the peaceful and gentle voice. People compel with great lengths of strenuous pressure, but God speaks through an overwhelming love and gentle peace. In Saul’s case, Philistine forces and panicking Israelites are all contributing to this compelling voice in Saul’s ear. Overall, the decision was Saul’s as he had the authority as king. He could take matters into his own hands which is what he succumbed to doing, or he could have resisted these compelling voices and trusted God. In life, we have the decision and final say on who we listen to and who we let compel us. Many voices of this world will try to scare you into thinking this will happen to you if you don’t give in but farther from the truth that is. It is only when you give in that you give that voice authority. Don’t let that be so. As you can see, Saul was heavily pressured by Philistine forces. The clock was ticking, and with Samuel not being there at the set time Saul was waiting for, Saul lost trust in God. Sometimes when time is against us, we need to ask ourselves to what second will we stick with God before the clock hits zero. Will you stick with God and obey Him even when the time runs out completely? If so, you will see that He will always come through. Another thing is that Saul trusted his own timing rather than God’s. Saul knew Samuel’s timing and his own timing, but no one knows God’s timing, and God’s timing is never our timing. So overall, don’t be compelled by the heavy burden that the agenda of this world brings. Don’t let circumstances compel you or the voices of those who are blinded by those circumstances. Remember who you are in Christ and remember who has the final say on decisions within your life. It is you; therefore, throw the junk of the world away and find God’s gentle voice and peace even in the midst of a battle.