I Samuel 10:22
In this passage of Scripture, we find a young man by the name of Saul. He had been anointed by Samuel to be the first king of Israel. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul, and he began to prophesy with a group of prophets. The Bible says that God gave Saul another heart. Saul witnessed the miracles of God. Saul had a lot going for him. I guess you could say Saul had it made.
But something happened. When the time came for Samuel to present King Saul to the people, Saul was nowhere to be found. The people prayed and asked the Lord about Saul’s whereabouts. In I Samuel 10:22, the Bible says, “And the Lord answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.” This was the biggest day of Saul’s life, but he was not on the throne. Instead, he was hiding among the stuff.
Be careful that you don’t allow Satan to use some of the “stuff” among which young people hide to keep you from serving God.
1) Family
Whether you have a good family or a bad family, don’t use your family as an excuse. Your family will not answer to God for your life; you will.
Gideon thought that God could not use him because of his family’s place in society and because of his place in his family. God shot down both of those excuses. God said, “Surely I will be with thee” (Judges 6:16).
Do you remember the story of David? David didn’t just think that he was the low man on the totem pole in his family – he was the low man on the totem pole. God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel. Jesse called the seven oldest sons for Samuel to see, but he didn’t even bother calling the youngest. Finally, after seeing seven of Jesse’s sons, Samuel had to ask Jesse if he had any more children. Reluctantly, Jesse responded by saying that the youngest son was out watching the sheep. It appears that even David’s father could not imagine that God would use David! But David did not use that as an excuse. He was king for over forty years and greatly blessed by God.
2) Friends
Some young people try to get lost in the crowd. They don’t want to stick out; they don’t want to be different. God is looking for the one that will “come out from among them and be ye separate” (II Corinthians 6:17).
Of course, you don’t want to hang around the wrong crowd; but you also don’t want to hide among the right crowd. Perhaps this is the reason God couldn’t find a man to stand in the gap in Ezekiel’s day. Perhaps the people were determined that they wanted to fit in with everyone else rather than fit in the place where God needed them.
3) Fun
Some young people become enamored with the pleasures of sin. Obviously, you want to avoid this stuff. We are commanded to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1).
There is nothing wrong with having good, clean fun. God wants us to enjoy life. However, we must be careful to keep our priorities right. Don’t allow sports, youth events, video games, and other activities to keep you from God’s perfect will for your life. Don’t hide on the basketball team. Don’t hide at the youth activities. Sports are great, and youth activities are wonderful; but neither of these should keep you out of God’s will. These should be tools that help you to find God’s will and do it!
4) Fear
I do not know why Saul was hiding among the stuff. It could have been due to any number of reasons. It is very likely that Saul was afraid of being king. Maybe he feared the responsibility. Maybe he feared the people. The Bible tells us that God has not given us the spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7). God says over and over again in Scripture, “Fear not.” God wants us to have faith, not fear.
Why won’t you surrender to the will of God for your life? Is it because of fear? Saul hid among the stuff, and eventually the stuff destroyed him. He lost the touch of God on his life. Over time, Saul found himself so far away from God. How did this happen? I don’t know all of the reasons that Saul wandered from God, but I believe that it probably started with his hiding among the stuff.
5) Failures
The longer you live, the more failures you will experience. It’s not if you fail, because everyone fails at some point. It’s how you respond when you fail that is really important. After an awful failure, David penned the words of Psalm 51. David did not stay down; he got back up!Paul determined that he would forget about the failures of his past (Philippians 3:13). Have you allowed your past to keep you from serving God in the present? Many young people today find themselves in a similar situation.
God has big plans for you. God wants to use you beyond your greatest expectations. This is no time to run from God’s will. There is no reason to hide from the great things God wants to do in your life. Come out from among the “stuff” and see how God will use you!
