God of the awkward

Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

1 Samuel 10:7

The story of king Saul is very interesting and strangely awkward. It starts out so promising. Saul is this quiet country boy just trying to find his family’s lost donkeys when he is suddenly chosen by God to be Israel’s first king. Samuel the prophet is given the task of anointing him as king over the nation. Saul is so naive... so likeable... and so reticent to do this thing, even as God confirms it with three clear signs including filling Saul with a prophet’s spirit. God was with Saul from the first.

Awkwardly, it would take Saul and the nation time to get used to his new role as king. It is clear God is at work with him. The text says God changed his heart in a new way (1 Samuel 10:9). The young Saul is humble and submissive to the Lord, but has absolutely no desire to act on his anointing as king in any way (1 Samuel 10:16). It took Samuel later publicly appointing him (and even then Saul tried to hide from being brought out in front of the people) and declaring Saul as king for it all to finally set in (1 Samuel 10:22-23).

God will use whom God will use to do what God will do. Israel wanted a king but could not make one. God gave them the attractive but improbable Saul. God loves to use flawed people and newbies and awkward people to get His point across that He is the One in control here, not us! Will we believe this even now? Can Jesus save, change, use, and promote those weirdos He chooses? Will we give ourselves to Him, awkwardness and all? Will we be OK with that or will we think God is a poor developer of raw talent? Saul teaches us to let God make of us what He wants, especially when we don’t have it all together!