1 Samuel 12:7 (NKJV)
“Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers:”

To get a proper perspective of things, it’s always good to look at the present through the eyes of the past. Looking into history gives us the opportunity to see the things we have done right and wrong, and how God walked with us through various events on our journey. When people don’t review their past, they can’t find hope for the future.

The future is more important than the past, but the past gives us parameters to look into the future. For every one of us, we must have had many ups and downs in our journeys, but expectedly, we must have also experienced repeated God-interventions. Don’t focus on your past failures. Focus on God’s faithful visitations, and learn lessons for the future.

Samuel told the people to stand still while he reviewed their past with them. From verses 6 to 15, he gave them a snapshot of their history and ended with a clear predictive exhortation about their future. He basically looked at their past and predicted what the future could hold for them, based on the line of action they chose.

The past predicts the future. When we look at our past, we clearly see how certain actions can bring us blessings or frustrations. Those who take the time to reflect on their past, draw encouragement and guidelines for their future. Those who do not review their past, are like blindmen walking through life. They most likely will stumble repeatedly, and never know why.

God’s will for us is not to simply repeatedly replay history but to advance into the future with great boldness, after reviewing history. Reviewing how God dealt with us in the past gives us clear pointers on how He is likely to deal with us in the future. The whole reason why we review the past is to give us confidence for the future. The future is predictive, based on the past.

Samuel ends his exhortation with clear prophetic words concerning their future. Verses 14-15 are conditioned by the word, “IF,” meaning that the future is dependent on their actions. God’s response to us is connected to our response to His faithfulness. We hold the keys to our future by how we respond to God’s faithfulness.