When you find your calling looking for donkeys

    It's pretty amazing to hear stories about great men of God and how they came to answer God's call to His service. It didn't matter what type of call it was. It mattered that it was a true calling from God Almighty and that specific person was able to hear that call very clearly and therefore, submit to it.

    In 1 Samuel chapter 9, we see God's call to Saul to be the King of Israel. We tend to depict Saul as a very bad man since he wanted to kill David, his successor. We tend to be very judgemental when we think about his death. He committed suicide. And most of all, we think of his huge disobedience to God. But it wasn't always that way. At some point in his life, he was a different person.

    He was obedient to his dad. "Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them."  (1 Samuel 9:3‭-‬4 ESV)

Are you obedient to your parents? In this day and age, obedience is not a big attitude that a lot of people  have. More and more, young adults decide to leave their homes because they don't  want to abide by their parents' rules, or plainly, disobey their parents while they're still at home, bringing shame to themselves and the name of Christ. It's definitely a heart issue and only God can change hearts. All we can do is pray really hard that God cause this generation to develop an attitude of obedience not only to their parents, but to any other authority that God has placed over them.

Saul was persistent in his task in trying to find his father's donkeys. We can see this in the fact the expression "and he passed through" is repeated four times in these two verses. This shows that Saul didn't quit at the first moment he couldn't find the donkeys. He kept trying because he wanted to honor his dad and accomplish what he was given to do. Are you quick to quit when the task gets tough? Or are you persistent and continue to push until the task is accomplished? In Saul's case, the specific task didn't get accomplish, not because of lack of trying, but because God had other plans. The same thing can happen to any of us but our job is to stay persistent.

Saul was concerned about his father's anxiety for him not being back home yet. "When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” (1 Samuel 9:5 ESV). Saul didn't want his father to become anxious for him not being back home yet. This really shows his love for him. He didn't want him to get worried. He wanted his dad to avoid having to feel that way and that's why he suggested to his servant to go back home. But God, knowing His plan, used Saul's servant to persist in the search and that way, to finally go see the seer or the prophet, to help him find the donkeys. "But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” (1 Samuel 9:6 ESV). Saul was expecting Samuel to tell him where the donkeys were but instead, he told him they had been found after they had been lost for three days. Three days! Saul really wanted to find the donkeys for his dad but instead, he found a calling. That calling was to be the next King of Israel.  "Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” (1 Samuel 9:15‭-‬16 ESV).

"Looking for donkeys" represents your daily life living. God can call you unexpectedly in the middle of your work day. He can call you at anytime, from anywhere to whatever type of service He chooses to give you. Don't be surprised if God calls you when you're "looking for your donkeys". That could be anything; any job, any trade, any high rank position. God can pull you out of it into His service.

There's one more quality I would like to mention about Saul. It's his humility.  "As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s house?” Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjamite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?” (1 Samuel 9:20‭-‬21 ESV). Saul did not feel worthy of this honor. He did not feel fit for the position because of where he came from. How many times have we felt this way about God's calling in our life? We feel inadequate, but we need to remember God does the equipping. He can call anyone He pleases. Remember Moses? He stuttered but God chose him to liberate the Israelites from the Egyptian oppression. Never mind your handicap, God can still use you. Encourage yourself with these words!

Saul and his servant get invited to a big dinner where he is sat at the head of the table. He is the special guest. He stays with Samuel and he is sent on his way. On his way home, Samuel tells Saul to let his servant go ahead of him so "he may make known to Saul the Word of God". Verses 1 and 2 in 1 Samuel 10 read: "Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage."

Saul found his call looking for donkeys! So can you! It was unexpected to Him but planned by God. He didn't feel fit for it but God equipped him. The Spirit of the Lord was upon him to the point He even prophesied! (1 Samuel 10:10). When you find your true calling, people might start noticing a change in you. Something they couldn't see before. That's what  happened to Saul. " Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man." (1 Samuel 10:6 ESV). "And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Samuel 10:11 ESV). Saul was different because of the call of God in his life. God was with him! (1 Samuel 10:7). Too bad later in his reign, he jeopardizes that calling and gets removed from his kingly position. Plain disobedience to God will do that to you. Beware! "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31 NASB1995)

You have to be obedient to God's calling. He can whisper in your ears: "Hey, I have a task for you" even "when you're looking for  donkeys". That's the kind of God He is! He is the God of the unexpected. 

Maybe, "you're still looking for donkeys". Keep doing it. God has placed you wherever you are. Saul had no idea he was going to find his calling while doing a very menial task. If it can happen to Saul, it can happen to any of us. Let's "keep looking". You could be next!