I prayed for God’s clear guidance one cool summer morning. God answered my prayer and impressed on my heart that I needed to “stop hiding among the baggage.” God’s reference is to the Old Testament lesson of when God chose Saul to be the first king over his people and instead of obeying God and embracing his call, Saul hid among the baggage. I remember hearing this story as a kid and thinking what a fool Saul was. God called Saul to be a king, but instead of accepting the crown and the kingdom, Saul hid. Who wouldn’t want to be king, right?? And what a strange thing for an adult male to do – hide in the baggage and think he could successfully hide from the God of creation, and from the call God had on His life. The very idea is laughable. And now the LORD of the heavens asked me to stop doing this very thing. As much as I didn’t want these words to apply to me, I know that everything the LORD of the heavens does is motivated in His deep and abiding love for me. So I dug deep to see His meaning. If you want a refresh on that Bible reference or have never read it, you can find it here
When Samuel first told Saul of God’s calling him to lead Israel, Saul’s immediate response put eyes on himself. “I’m from the smallest tribe in Israel” (1 Samuel 9:21) – Saul’s first and foremost thought was only of himself and how he might be perceived. Instead, friends, when God calls us, we need to get our eyes off ourselves and on our awesome Creator God and His promises. He calls us to walk out in faith and leave the uncontrollable to Him. He who calls us is faithful to complete every one of His plans. It is not about us or our circumstances or position, it is about a good God who accomplishes His good in everything. God works good through everything!! And His strength is made perfect in weakness.
What could God mean by saying I needed to stop hiding among the baggage? But friends, isn’t that what we do when we refuse to answer his call? Isn’t it what we do every time we refuse to obey the words, commands, and promises of God? Even though Saul came from the smallest tribe of Israel and yet the God of the heavens picked him to be the very first king of Israel. The Bible describes him as handsome and a head taller than anyone else in the whole country. (1 Samuel 9:2) God’s calling on our lives isn’t dependent on our family of origin or physical attributes and God isn’t limited by human circumstances. Although Saul had these remarkable physical traits, his heart remained crippled. He had an improper view of himself and of God. Instead of relying on God, trusting God’s calling, and stepping out in faith, Saul hid among the baggage in fear and self doubt. I am hiding among the baggage when I live motivated by fear.
Saul just came from an incredible experience. While on a failed hunt for his dad’s missing donkeys, Saul encountered God’s prophet Samuel and learned of God’s special calling on his life. He worshipped alongside Samuel and the Holy Spirit even came on Saul so powerfully that he prophesied alongside the priests of God. Instead of these awe-inspiring experiences motivating him to walk out in faith, Saul hides.
Let’s visit the baggage area with Saul. Close your eyes and go there with me. I imagine it was a dark, dreary, sweaty, stinky, uncomfortable, and fearful place. The feelings and thoughts going through Saul’s head must have included fear, worry, selfishness, and doubt. Saul believed the lie that tripped up Eve in the garden that God isn’t trustworthy and good. Saul’s wrong thinking instead let him to act on the lie that hiding would “keep him safe.” Saul missed the opportunity of stepping out and trusting the LORD of the heavens and embracing the role and identity Saul had through God.
What God says . .
In the 15th chapter of John God says we are: clean, loved, joy, friend, chosen, and appointed. Do we live like we believe those promises? Or do we forget? Friends, every time we believe a lie about ourselves, we are hiding in the baggage and not accepting His call on our lives. John 15 is just some of the many, many promises in God’s Word.
Let’s break it down even more. Clean – every time I doubt God’s all cleansing complete forgiveness – I hide in the baggage and not accepting His free gift of washing me. Loved – the LORD of the heavens loves me – and nothing changes that. Every time I believe the lie, that I’m unlovable – I hide in the baggage. Joy – what a gift the LORD of heavens offers me. Every time I try to find my joy somewhere else, I hide in the baggage. Friend-God is my friend. Every time I forget my identity in this – I hide among the baggage. Chosen – God chooses us. Every time I wallow in the feeling of being forgotten on earth. When I reject being chosen by the God of the universe, I hide among the baggage. Appointed – the Lord of heavens’ armies appointed me for His purposes and His plans. When I forget God’s appointment and get caught up in how I feel ranked by people in my life, I hide in the baggage.
Our God is a personal God – He loves us so much He wants us to grow and learn and become transformed to be more and more like Him.
A proper view begins with humble obedience and recognition of God’s almighty power, purposes, and perfect will. One phenomenal example of humble obedience is Mary the mother of Jesus and her response to God’s incredible call on her life to give birth and raise the Savior of the world. What was Mary’s response? “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” Amen! May that be true of each and every one of us.