How does this verse connect to God's sovereignty in other Scriptures? Reading the Verse “So Samuel called to the LORD, and on that day the LORD sent thunder and rain. As a result, all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.” (1 Samuel 12:18) God’s Sovereign Command of Creation • A sudden, out-of-season storm shows the Lord rules weather, harvests, and natural laws. • Other passages echo this authority: • Job 37:5 — “God thunders wondrously with His voice; He does great things we cannot comprehend.” • Psalm 29:3-4 — “The voice of the LORD is over the waters… The voice of the LORD is powerful.” • Jeremiah 10:13 — “He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from His storehouses.” • Nothing in the created order is random; every cloud and clap of thunder answers to Him. Sovereignty Worked Through Prophetic Prayer • Samuel prays, God acts immediately. The pattern is repeated throughout Scripture: • Joshua 10:12-14 — sun stands still when Joshua speaks. • 1 Kings 18:36-39 — Elijah’s brief prayer brings fire. • James 5:17-18 — “Elijah was a man just like us… he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not.” • God’s rule is never threatened by human requests; He folds earnest prayer into His sovereign plan. Producing Holy Fear and Repentance • The storm convinces Israel that rejecting the Lord as King was sin (1 Samuel 12:19). • Divine displays often bring conviction: • Exodus 20:18-20 — thunder at Sinai makes Israel tremble. • Acts 5:5, 11 — Ananias and Sapphira’s judgment yields “great fear” in the church. • God rules hearts as surely as skies, using power to draw people to reverence and obedience. Unbroken Sovereignty from Samuel to Jesus • Mark 4:39-41 — Jesus rebukes wind and waves; disciples echo Israel’s fear: “Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!” • Colossians 1:16-17 — “By Him all things were created… and in Him all things hold together.” • The same authority behind the thunder in 1 Samuel 12 stands embodied in Christ, confirming that God’s rule never changes. Living Confidence in the King of Heaven • Creation obeys Him, nations rise and fall by Him (Daniel 2:21), prayers move His hand, and hearts are turned by His voice (Proverbs 21:1). • Therefore, every believer can rest under the same sovereign care Israel witnessed in that thunderstorm, trusting that the Lord still commands clouds—and circumstances—for His glory and our good. |
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