The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Monday
May 5, 2008
On the day Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the
sacrifice to Peninnah and each of her children. But he gave Hannah a special
portion because he loved her very much, even though the Lord had given her no
children…
Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the
Lord…
As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving
but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. "Must you come here
drunk?" he demanded. "Throw away your wine!"
"Oh no, sir!" she replied, "I'm
not drunk! But I am very sad, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Please
don't think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish
and sorrow."
"In that case," Eli said, "cheer up! May the God of Israel
grant the request you have asked of him."
1 Samuel 1:4-5, 10,
12-17
Elkanah is a man I can respect. Although the traditions of his day alluded to the fact that if a woman could not bear children she wasn't worth much, this man loved his wife. Sadly, his love wasn't enough for Hannah; she wanted a child.
How many of us go through life wanting something that we don't have and not enjoying the love around us? Well, if we were to ask everyone we come in contact with that question the response would be overwhelming. Yet, we need to learn from this scripture.
Hannah could have kept her eyes on her circumstances and turned from God, but thankfully she did just the opposite. She trusted that God would grant her the desires of her heart and she sought Him through prayer; that is faith.
I'll be honest with you…my faith hasn't always been strong…as a matter of fact…it's waivered more often than a person in leadership's should I suppose. Maybe that's why He led me to this particular type of ministry, because I would be open and honest and share, as Hannah did from her heart.
Even though Eli accused Hannah of being drunk, she stood her ground and shared the desire of her heart with a man of God. Good lesson. The Lord tells us in His Word that, "...one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the LORD your God fights for you, just as he has promised." (Joshua 23:10), "How can one person chase a thousand of them, and two people put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?" Deuteronomy 32:30, so now Hannah had support in her prayer. There is power when we get in harmony with someone through prayer.
God definitely has a plan for our lives. We aren't here just to wander through life going from one crisis to another. He planted a seed of purpose within us, but we must diligently seek Him in order for the seed to grow, and most of the time that seed doesn't grow into a full-fledged plant without dying, getting imbedded, and being nourished, and that takes time.
Have you discovered God's planted seed within you and do you desire to do something about it? Have you allowed your circumstances to dictate whether or not that seed becomes a plant? Well, today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Do like Hannah. Go to the Lord in prayer and then share your prayer with another spiritual friend and seek God's face. Don't give up. Press into God and press on with Him. He promises that He will give us the desires of our heart when our will is aligned with His. Oh, and if you don't have another spiritual friend…you have one in me!
Father, I seek You this morning on behalf of the person reading this who has given up all hope of ever doing anything of significance for the Kingdom. Although I have no clue who that person is, I stand with them in seeking Your plan. We thank You for Your Word, both written and living within us, and we ask that You provide the increase. We believe, help our unbelief!
