The Impulse to Act Too Soon
1 Samuel 13–14 | Numbers 18:7 | Acts 13:21–23
I don’t like waiting. Not in traffic. Not for test results. Not when I’ve prayed and planned and feel like I’ve done everything right. When things start unraveling or when the pressure builds, I don’t wait. I move. I fix. I act. I figure it out.
But I’ve learned (more than once) that rushing ahead often leaves me cleaning up messes God never asked me to manage.
It’s not that I don’t trust God... I just trust my timeline more.
Maybe you know the feeling.
You start with faith, but somewhere along the way, fear starts whispering that God’s forgotten, or maybe He’s late. And before you know it, you’ve stepped into a role that wasn’t yours to fill.
That’s exactly what Saul did.
In 1 Samuel 13, Saul watched his army scatter, felt the pressure of the Philistines closing in, and panicked. Samuel hadn’t arrived yet, so Saul took matters into his own hands. He offered the burnt offering himself (a task reserved strictly for the priest, as instructed in Numbers 18:7).
It seemed logical. Necessary, even. But it wasn’t obedient.
When Samuel arrived, he didn’t praise Saul’s initiative. He rebuked his disobedience:
“You have done a foolish thing... the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart.” (1 Samuel 13:13–14)
And just like that, the kingdom began slipping from Saul’s hands.
By 1 Samuel 14, we see more of Saul’s impulsive leadership: rash vows, reactive commands, spiritual immaturity. The deeper issue wasn’t just Saul’s actions; it was his heart. He wanted control more than he wanted communion.
In contrast, Acts 13:21–23 points us to a better king: David. Not perfect, but willing. Not grasping, but yielded. A man after God’s own heart. And from David’s line came Jesus, the King who waited perfectly, trusted completely, and obeyed fully.
God is never slow, but He is thorough.
And sometimes obedience means standing still when everything in you wants to rush ahead.
Saul’s downfall wasn’t failure. It was faithlessness. He was called to wait. To trust. To obey.
And that call hasn’t changed.
Where in your life are you tempted to rush ahead of God?
Pause. Surrender the urge to act just to ease anxiety. Ask God for wisdom and the courage to wait well. He’s not late; He’s teaching you to trust.
Lord, help me choose obedience over urgency.
Teach me to trust You in the tension of waiting.
When fear rises, anchor me in Your faithfulness.
You are never delayed—You are always working.
Give me a heart like David’s, and a spirit yielded like Christ’s.
Amen.
