See This Great Thing
See this great thing the Lord is about to do!
1 Samuel 12:16 (NIV)
Samuel summons Israel to witness: stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! They demanded kings, rejecting theocracy — God would answer with harvest-time thunder and rain, visible signs of error. Seeing great things includes seeing great corrections: God speaks through blessings and thunder. Witnessing His works demands standing still, watching.
Overcoming starts stopping to see. Israel chased novelties — kings like nations — Samuel ordering stops to watch. How many answers rush past us: praying hurriedly, reading flyingly, deciding impulsively. Great things demand attentive audiences: stopping, watching, learning. Whoever sees God opposing errors, repenting, overcomes; eye-averters repeat.
Stop and see today: contemplating recent great things — deliverances, provisions, corrections. See this great thing: opened eyes turn thunder into testimonies.
Attentive audiences become powerful witnesses. Stopping today, watching, learning. Look slowly today. Hurried crowds miss evident wonders daily. Slow down today, look deeply, learn thoroughly. God acts before open eyes and attentive hearts. Attentive witnesses become potent trumpets. Thunder heard rightly converts crowds eventually. Listen well and recount faithfully. Today's correction prevents tomorrow's calamity.
And recounting sights: thunder testimonies warn entire generations.