Follow the Signs to the Lost and Found God.
This week we have been reminded how life can be full of loss. More than 5,000 people are presumed dead in Libya after heavy rains caused two dams to collapse, sending more water surging into already inundated areas.
MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment are recovering from cyberattacks this week that tested the computer defenses of multibillion-dollar hotels in Las Vegas. Hackers stole Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers from a "significant number" of loyalty program customers. The financial loss will be in the millions.
Sixty years ago, after 4 little girls were killed in a KKK attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, memories of the lives that were taken live and their bright promise robbed from us still stings as if it were yesterday.
Loss is a part of life, but so is the strength to recover. The key is to never lose the Spirit of God—the Ruach Elohim. Saul—the first king of Israel—was forever vacillating between the “lost” and “found” because he was not committed to the Ruach Elohim that can change a man when he is committed to God. Look at what the Prophet Samuel says of the Spirit of God:
6"Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. 7"It shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, for God is with you. 1 Sam. 10:6-7
Here is the back story. Israel no longer wanted to be a theocracy—a nation lead by God. They wanted a man as their king. This was not in their best interest, but to teach them that God as head-of-state was no mistake, He chose a man-king for them—Saul. He was tall, handsome and fickle to the Spirit of God.
There are signs of God’s Spirit and calling on your life that you may have lost touch with—a changed life. Samuel privately anointed Saul with oil signifying that he would be king, but Saul wanted to tend to his father’s donkeys. So, God gave Saul some signs to show him that kingship was in his future. First, the Spirit of God would change Saul from a donkey herder to one who prophesies (v. 10):
When they came to the hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him mightily, so that he prophesied among them. 1Sam.10:10
Reluctance is a sign that you have lost touch with the Spirit of God. You can lose your calling of God just as quickly when you don’t diligently seek Him. One verse later, Saul recounts to his uncle his encounter with Samuel but makes no mention of his anointing and appointment of God who called him to be king. (v.15)
But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned. 1 Sam. 10:15c
Cowardice is a sign that you have lost touch with the Spirit of God. When it was time to publicly anoint Saul as the king the people asked for, Saul—tall, handsome and fearful—was nowhere to be found. The lack of God’s Spirit can cause us to lose courage when it’s time to step up. Are you hiding from your calling? (v. 22)
22Therefore they inquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" So, the LORD said, "Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage."
Finally, silence is a sign that you have lost touch with the Spirit of God. The people lavished gifts on their new king, but not everyone. Some opposed him and gave him nothing. And it appears Saul thought so little of his new position he said nothing to those who openly despised him. Are you silent of God’s calling on your life? (27b)
…And they despised him and did not bring him any present. But he kept silent. I Sam. 10:27b
Saul—the man touched by Ruach Elohim—the Spirit of God—would eventually and appropriately lose his kingship to a young lad with a slingshot and Ruach Elohim—David. This would open the path to another king—King Jesus—savior of the world.
When you have found and diligently abide in the Spirit of God, all is never lost even when the loss seems insurmountable and forever raw. Out of the murder of four young girls in a Birmingham Sunday School, a moment rose from the debris. Out of that moment rose Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first black women to sit on the Supreme Court.
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