Daily Devotion: 1 Samuel 13..."Don't Panic."

Saul is panicking. The Philistines are all mustered for battle, "troops like the sand on the seashore in the multitude", and his people are trembling. Samuel is on his way, but he's late, so Saul takes matters into his own hands. He makes a burnt offering to God--he does Samuel's job for him--and thus ends the kingship of Saul. That's how he loses God's blessing. By panicking. By overreaching. By not honoring the different callings God has for different people. Saul is a king, not a priest. Instead of waiting for the one God has called into that role, he tries to do it all. And he fails.
God has gifted each of us differently. Some of us are apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists. This is a New Testament breakdown for our gifts in the church. When we understand our gifts, we can better honor those of others. We can structure our efforts based on what we're good at. But sometimes it won't feel like enough. Our problems will feel too overwhelming. We'll panick. We'll want to try doing someone else's job, instead of what we do best.
That's when it's so, so important to remember: you are enough. Your gifts are enough. You can do what God has called you to do, and God will call someone else to do the rest. You can not be everything to everybody. You can only be you. But God knows that. That's exactly what God wants from you.
God, we are overwhelmed. We are tempted to panic. We are lured by the trap of trying to do someone else's job. Refresh us, remind us, recall us to our own. Amen.