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Monday, September 21, 2020

My Stuff and Your Stuff

“And the Lord answered, ‘Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.’” (1 Samuel 10:22)

When the time came for Samuel to step down, the Israelites didn’t want another prophet leading them but demanded a king like the surrounding nations. With this demand, they rejected God, who was their king speaking through Samuel. God was displeased but gave them what they wanted. Saul had kingly qualities: tall, striking appearance, courageous, and known for his generosity. But outward appearances can be deceiving; his “inward man” would not lean on and trust God with his strengths or weaknesses that would make him usable for God’s purposes. Saul was hesitant to step forward when it was time for Samuel to present him as Israel’s first king officially; he hid “among the stuff.” The word “stuff” in verse twenty-two means baggage. Saul hid in the baggage, but the baggage could not hide him.

The word “stuff” has always intrigued me. When the Lord dropped this word in my thoughts, I was anxious to learn what He wanted to teach me: We all have stuff with which to deal; sometimes, we hide in it. Your “stuff “is different from mine, but we all have it. No? People pay to store excess stuff in storage facilities or tuck it away in “she-sheds” or workshops. Glance in your closets and those “catch-all” drawers; see all the stuff? These places store things used regularly, seasonally, hardly ever, or not at all. Sometimes we put those things away, not to see or deal with them. Stuff—we all have stuff.

Though our outward appearance can fool others, the inward person cannot deceive God. With all your stuff and my stuff stored in strategic places, how often do we hide in our “baggage” to escape facing realities that need addressing? Reasons for hiding “among the stuff” differ, but we must confront them, allowing God access to expose hiding places. As we surrender to God, we experience freedom from the baggage that has us stalemated. Saul could have been a great king had he only allowed God to be King and Ruler of his heart.

God has a plan for your life and mine. He desires sincere hearts bent and surrendered to His will. He knows what and where your stuff is, whether in open or hidden places. God is waiting for an invitation to help you deal with the baggage that weighs you down. Instead of hiding in that stuff of yours, find shelter in God as the psalmist did: “Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7). Crawl out from under the baggage and surrender all to God.


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