Longings

One thing we can be certain of, God understands the longings that we have – so much that He provided us with quite a few examples of women throughout the bible who dealt with their own longings.

We should take to heart that He has shown His awareness and His concern by giving us these women and their stories to encourage us and remind us that He sees us. He knows our desires and He will answer our longings in His perfect will and way.

Hannah’s story begins with the mention of her husband, Elkanah and his second wife Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

With just one paragraph of information we can instantly sympathize with Hannah. Sharing her husband and being barren are huge issues in and of themselves.

Although many Old Testament leaders had more than one wife, that was never God’s intention for marriage, then or now, and it usually caused serious family problems as we will see in our study of Hannah.

Hannah had been unable to conceive children and in Old Testament times, childless women were seen as flawed and inferior to women who could bear children. Their barrenness was a social embarrassment for their husbands. Fortunately, Hannah’s husband was lovingly devoted to her even though custom would have allowed him to divorce her for being barren. Yet she still deeply longed for children of her own.

What are you longing for? What relationships in your life cause feelings of not being good enough? Are there things in the world that make you feel flawed and inferior? What social pressures battle with your true identity as a Daughter of the King?

We often worry about position, status and appearance, hoping that we will be seen in such a way as to receive acceptance. But we need to remember that God’s recognition counts so much more than human praise.

Carrying our worries, stresses and longings by ourselves shows that we have not fully trusted with our lives. But when we turn to God and lay our burdens and our longings at His feet, He will bear the weight of them. Don’t submit to your circumstances; submit to the Lord, who controls the circumstances.

Be Intentional about trusting God with your longings.

Praises & Prayers

Father, thank you for being the God who sees. You fully know my heart Lord and I pray that I will take my longings and hurts to You. Help me to lay them at Your feet and trust that Your will will be done. I Love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Messages from His Word

Genesis 16:13

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

The God who sees me. One of the many characteristics of God. Do you know Him as the God who sees you? If so, you are on your way to believing that…… My God, is My Everything!