God Means Business

# 158 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:16-18, "Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes: 17 "Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves." 18 So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. (1 Sam 12:16-18) Whenever you see the word, “therefore” in Scripture, you need to go back a verse or two and see what the “therefore” is “there for.” Samuel had just told the people that if they refused to allow the Lord to rule over them, God's hand would be against them. Now he says, “stand still, pay attention, and I'll show you that God means business.” It was the time of the wheat harvest in Israel, a time when rain and storms were very rare. Samuel boldly states that he will ask God to send thunder and rain. If the rain and thunder come, it would be God's statement that He was not happy that the people had asked for a king to rule over them. God knew the hearts of the people, He knew their motivation for their request. He told Samuel in 1 Sam 8:7b, “they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” This was the issue, and the people have still not dealt with it. God has granted them their desire for a king, but they must remember that king or no king God is to rule over their hearts. In this portion of Scripture, He is going to great lengths to hammer the point home to the people. The hand of God snaps His fingers and produces a miraculous storm out of nothing. Is this the hand that you want working for you or against you? Are there sin issues in you life that you have not yet dealt with? Areas of your life where you are resisting God's rule? Confess them as sin, seek to turn from them, receive God's forgiveness, and with the help of the Holy Spirit allow Him and His Word to rule Supreme in your life.