And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do. (1 Samuel 10:8, NASB )
There is a lot of criticism about how long it takes PGA players to hit a shot and finish a round in a reasonable amount of time. The latest social media channels went viral and put Scottie Scheffler in the spotlight for what appeared to be five minutes before hitting his second shot 52 yards from the 14th hole during the first round of this year’s PGA Championship.
The average PGA tour player takes 38 seconds to hit a shot. In Scottie’s situation, it wasn’t slow play; he was waiting out of respect for the players on another tee behind the hole that could have been disturbed by a good shot and the potential gallery reaction.
Several months ago, I played golf with Dr. David Cook, the renowned Christian sports psychologist who has worked with the San Antonio Spurs and several tour players. We watched a young tour player in our group stand over the ball for almost 30 seconds before pulling the trigger. Dr. Cook turned to me and said, “He lost the picture.”
In other words, the time had passed for him to execute the vision for the shot, and he was likely thinking “swing” thoughts and not using “feel” and “trust” shot thoughts.
Waiting too long to hit a shot can destroy all the potential of your hard work, discipline, and natural athletic ability. However, waiting on God is one of the most important disciplines in life to master.
The opening verse provides specific instructions given to Saul from Samuel- a prophet, priest, and judge over Israel. Israel had asked for a king, and God anointed Saul. Saul was strong, tall, charming, and had God’s blessing to be a great leader. He showed great promise, and Samuel was his counselor.
But, in Samuel 1:13, Saul didn’t follow God’s instruction to wait for the priest to make the sacrifice; he took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice himself. The pressure from the approaching Philistines caused him to act out of fear and disobey God.
The Life Application Bible (NIV ) states: “He was doing a good thing (offering a sacrifice to God before a crucial battle) but did it the wrong way. Like Saul, our true spiritual character is revealed under pressure. The methods we use to accomplish our goals are as important as attaining those goals.”
How do you wait on God? In his book, “Living Fearless,” Jamie Winship asks these questions:
- Should I go?
- Should I do this?
- Will I win?
- How should I go?
Until we submit and wait, we may be operating in our own will, not what God intends. Read on in your Bible about Saul, and you will see he lost his kingship.
Scottie Scheffler’s choice to wait in deference to other players may have created some criticism, but it was not in defiance of God’s word to think of others before yourself. Perhaps he reflected on the following and was reminded to wait, “Do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”
Prayer: Help us to be patient, seek your will, wait upon you for guidance, and move in the direction you ask us to go.