Pushing closer, not further away

Over the course of the last year, I've been doing a lot of studying on David. Not just David but leading up to David. 1 and 2 Samuel. Since my husband purchased the Life Applications Bible I have been dwelling on the commentary since I spent the time really reading the scriptures. What I want to focus on today is a portion in 1 Samuel about a time where Saul, the king of Israel was looking out assistance in the WRONG place.

1 Samuel 28:3-8 or so talks about Saul consulting a witch. Now, Saul had banned all the witches and such from being around. Like shoo shoo. Bye Felicia. Now Saul saw a huge group of Philistines. These were his 'enemies.' They were not his amigos by any sense of the word. He became afraid. He tried to get some direction from God but God was not speaking. Then he went and looked for another answer. A witch. Or a woman with familiar spirits as it says in King James.

We can look at this from MANY different perspectives. When we decide to renounce a specific sin in our life, it will seem easier to revert to your old ways. Maybe you have been convicted of your drinking. Or your excessive spending. (Stab at me for sure there) I know that when I get stressed out it's easier for me to say screw it, let's just eat out for dinner tonight because I just don't care anymore. When in reality I need to be watching my bank account and paying my bills. It's easier for me to be comfortable in my familiarity than it is doing something that might be right/better.

Secondly, I can understand the frustration of Saul from not hearing from God. Sometimes the situations we are faced with are time sensitive and we need an answer quickly. We wait and we wait and we wait and nothing. I have sat in this frustration many times and wondered why I'm not getting the answer that I need. Even though I know that God's timing is perfect and he always has a plan. This isn't a comfortable place AT ALL! 

And finally. When we are faced with the prior situation, it's all in the way we respond. Do you respond by pressing in harder to God, or reverting to another way of getting answers? Recently I have been learning that it's not about what is happening to me, it's in how I respond. I'm doing terrible at it honestly. I'm still flipping out on Sunday morning during set up and tear down. I sarcastically fight with Justin in plain view. And I'm getting impatient with Joseph more and more because the frustrations that I'm facing as an adult/wife/mother. 

My mom has constantly told me that it's not about how I see my circumstances, it's how I respond to them. Even though Saul was trying to get God's attention and get some answers, he still went other places to get his answers. Situations like this SHOULD and I mean SHOULD push us closer to God. I know that's a lot harder to type than it is to live out. Hopefully we can learn from Saul's mistakes and not make them ourselves.