Stand Here

Stand here and see the great thing the LORD is about to do.  1 Samuel 12:6 NLT

I find I want to stand over There, the place of my own choosing, in order to do, and scheme, and plan, and finagle, until I have it all figured out. According to this passage, I'm not the only one with my own ideas.

Saul, a king, has just been appointed to rule over Israel. They had rejected the LORD as their King and ruler, continually abandoning Him, to follow other gods (1 Samuel 8:7-8 NLT). The Israelites wanted to be like the Joneses next door and down the street. They wanted to be like everyone else, all the other nations.

(1 Samuel 8:5 NLT)

Even in their rebellion, God graciously grants their request for a king.

Samuel, God's prophet, solemnly challenges this wayward people:

"Now if you fear and worship the LORD and listen to His voice and if you do not rebel against the LORD's commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the LORD as your God." 1 Samuel 12:4 NLT

Essentially Samuel is telling the Israelites, stand in awe and worship the LORD and listen to Him! Pay attention! Stop demanding your own way. And if you do that, you will know your God, recognize Him in a crowd of other deities, and you will serve Him, alone.

Samuel continues:

Now stand here and see the great thing the LORD is about to do. 1 Samuel 12:16 NLT

Samuel is asking them to stay in the present moment and pay attention to God, alone, instead of wanting to do their own thing. He was asking these, who had already turned away from God by asking for a king, trying to fit in, to simply Trust God. To wait for their Sovereign Lord to act.

And you thought living like the Joneses was hard! It is far more challenging to remain where you are, stay in the often-difficult circumstances you are in, and watch for God, to pay attention to what He is doing instead of springing into action to do your own thing.

It is like looking through some coin-operated binoculars continually needing to adjust the lenses so you can glimpse the view more clearly. First you have to make the choice to even spend the quarter and then each time the binoculars are put in a new position or merely bumped, you have to readjust the lenses, continue to make the effort, in order to observe the landscape.

The goal here, in our LORD's mind, is for us to have a pristine perspective , so He insists we focus on Him. That includes believing He really is who He says He is: LORD of All, even in my corner of the world, on this edge of the paper that I repeatedly, foolishly, attempt to fill with my own ideas, because I believe "I've got this covered!"

I am so grateful that God enables me to "stand here", and focus on Him, so that from time to time, I too can glimpse the great thing He is about to do. He is a gracious God, indeed.