When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met Saul, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 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 10:10–11, ESV
Prior to the coming of Christ, the Holy Spirit could not only come upon someone, but He could also remove Himself. This we know with Saul. Saul was chosen by God as the first king of the people of Israel. Saul stood over all the people of Israel at the time and, reluctantly, became king. God convinced him by giving signs that would tell Saul that he was chosen. One of those signs was to come upon him and cause him to prophesy. This did not only happen once in the life of Saul. Yet, when we read the story of Saul, we find a man that became overcome with his ego and power. As followers of Christ, we are promised the Holy Spirit, and for us, there is only one way in which we will not find forgiveness, and that is the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit. The ultimate blaspheme of the Holy Spirit is to deny God fully. Saul never did this, but he overstepped and did not always seek God out for guidance and, at times, tried to coerce God to go in the direction that he wanted. We are called to be faithful and humble in our walk with God. It isn’t to do things and then ask for them to be blessed but to seek out the paths that God has already blessed. In our lives, this is difficult and humbling. We are not to be overly confident in our actions, simply thinking that because we believe in God that He will bless all that we do, even when we believe that those things are truly beneficial. God opens to us His mind in His Word and gives us great insight into His will but we are first to seek His will and listen for His promises in all aspects of who we are lest we become overly proud and lose sight of all that God is doing in our lives and in our world.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.