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Better Than Before
I was sitting on my couch the other night looking out the window and reminiscing about the last few years at this house. Three years ago I stood at this window crying. We had just begun to move in and the house was in need of a deep cleaning and updating. It smelt like cats and I had lost count of the number of spiders that I had removed. The streetlight was shining brightly through the window that night just as it was on this night. Then it felt overly bright and invasive, but now it was more like a warm glow that gave a peaceful feeling of a restful…
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Letting Go
One of the many lessons that we can learn from Hannah is letting go. She understood that all we have and receive on this earth is on loan from God. She could have made excuses for keeping her young son and few would blame her if she became a possessive mother. But when God answered her prayer, she followed through on her promise and dedicated Samuel to God’s service. Hannah discovered that the greatest joy in having a child is giving that child fully and freely back to God. She entered motherhood prepared to do what all mothers must eventually do – let go of their children. The bible tells…
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Keeping Promises
The Lord answered Hannah’s prayer and she gave birth to a son and named him Samuel. Imagine the joy she felt as she held the answer to her prayers in her arms. Kissing his sweet little cheeks, smelling the new baby scent as she rocked him to sleep. Counting all his fingers and toes as she gently rubbed each one. How many times she must have caught herself staring at the miracle before her. Then there were the moments of remembering her promise to God. She had promised that if He would give her a son, she would give him back to the Lord for all the days of his…
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A Remedy for Discouragement
At the beginning of Hannah’s story she had been discouraged to the point of being physically sick and unable to eat and then in the middle of it she returned home well and happy. What changed? First she poured her heart out to God holding nothing back. Completely honest about her feelings and the desires of her heart. Next she received encouragement from Eli. Once he saw the truth of her earnest praying, he blessed her. Finally she resolved to leave the problem with God. Her example gives us the remedy for discouragement. As Godly Women of Influence we have the opportunity to participate in this remedy from both ends.…
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Snap Judgements
A snap judgement is defined as a hasty decision or opinion and I’m sure that we all have made them at one time or another. Sometimes those decisions are spot on and other times they miss the mark. While Hannah was pouring out her heart to God, her lips moved but her voice was not heard. Eli the priest was observing her and made a snap judgement that she was drunk and rebuked her. But Hannah replied, “Not so, my lord! I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked…
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Vows
Please God! Help me! I will do anything if You will just help me right now! Have you ever felt or prayed that way before? In our desperation we are willing to do just about anything to get the help we desire but when the moment has past do we follow through with our vows? In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his…
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Hannah Stood Up
One time when Elkanah and his family had finished eating and drinking at Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. (1 Samuel 1:9-10) That was the moment when everything changed. She had been sitting down for a long time. For many years she had been down, allowing things to happen the way they came. Allowing things to affect her and people to hurt her. But then came a day; the day Hannah stood up. We all have that moment deep within us when we cannot just sit any longer…
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I Give Hope
One day as I was driving around town I came to a stop light where I read the bumper sticker on the car in front of me. It read; I Give Hope. It made me ask myself if that could be said of me. I thought of the many people in my life, who in the last week alone, prayed for me, called me or sent me a text, all of which greatly encouraged me. Then I wondered how many opportunities did I have this week to give someone hope and encouragement, and did I make the most of those moments? As I continued to drive down the street I…
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Choose Your Reaction
Hannah’s story tells us that her rival, Peninnah, kept provoking her in order to irritate her and this went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you so downcast? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons? Hannah knew that her husband loved her, but even his encouragement could not comfort her. She could not keep from hearing Peninnah’s jeers and letting her hurtful words erode her self confidence. Have you ever experienced…
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Expectations
Pray with expectation. We’ve heard that phrase many times and it is an expression of faith, believing that God will hear and answer our prayers. But what happens when our expectations are unmet and our hopes are derailed? Hannah must have experienced that discouragement many times as she waited for her prayers for a child to be answered. What do you do in moments like that when you feel your faith wavering and you begin to doubt when things start to go badly? That’s when we need to remember what we know about God. Remembering who He is and what He has done will help us to renew our faith…