What Nerve!!!

Greetings,

We all have something very beautiful and amazing in common: MOMS!  As we prepare to celebrate Mother's Day this weekend, let's look at one fabulous, inspiring mom from the Bible.

Hannah desperately longed for a baby, but she could not get pregnant. It was heartbreaking, and to make matters worse, another woman, who had the blessing of children, "taunted her cruelly" because of it (I guess mean girls have always been a problem).  And - surprise surprise - her husband didn't understand her either. He was so clueless he asked her, "Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 

Hannah did the wisest, most powerful thing she could do.

"Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried - inconsolably. ‘Oh, God...take a good, hard look at my pain, go into action for me by giving me a son, I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline’" (Samuel 1:11-12).

Hannah prayed a desperate, no-holds-barred, anguished plea, which was also a mighty invitation.

“GO INTO ACTION FOR ME!”

That's bold.  Specks of dust us telling Almighty God to take a good, hard look at our suffering and then demanding He do something about it? What nerve!

But that's precisely the kind of "nerve" God responds to.

By the time we get to verse 20 in this same chapter we read, "Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, 'I asked God for him.'”

This phrase, "before the year was out," really touches my heart and fills me with hope.  I have several prayer requests that I would love to see answered before the end of the year.

Do you? 

Then let's pray! 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for moms. Some of our moms are in Your tender care, and we are grateful we will see them again. For those moms here on earth, bless them with long healthy lives. We also praise You for the bold language of the Bible; GO INTO ACTION FOR US.  I especially need to see Your power displayed in this area of my life _________________________, and may You grant my request before the year is out. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

WHAT NERVE!!!

Greetings,

As we prepare to celebrate Mother's Day this weekend, let's take a look at one fabulous, inspiring mom from the Bible whose name is Hannah.

Hannah desperately longed for a baby, but she could not get pregnant. It was heartbreaking, and to make matters worse, another woman, who had the blessing of children, "taunted her cruelly" because of it. I guess mean girls have always been around.  And, surprise surprise, her own husband didn't understand her. He was so clueless that in 1 Samuel 1:8 he asks her, "Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 

(Eye roll, please).

Hannah did the wisest, most powerful thing she could do.

"Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried - inconsolably. 'Oh, God...take a good, hard look at my pain, go into action for me by giving me a son, I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline'" (I Samuel 1:11-12).

Hannah prayed...And from what the verse above says, it was a desperate, no holds barred, anguished plea; it was also a mighty invitation.

GO INTO ACTION FOR ME!

That's kind of bold.  Little made-of-dust us telling Almighty God to take a good, hard look at our suffering and then demanding He do something about it? What nerve!

But that's precisely the kind of "nerve" God responds to.

By the time we get to verse 20 in this same chapter we read, "Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, 'I asked God for him.'”

This phrase, "before the year was out," really touches my heart and fills me with hope.  I have several prayer requests that I would love to see answered before the end of the year.

Do you? 

Then let's pray! 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for moms. Some of our moms are in Your tender care, and we are grateful we will see them again. For those moms here on earth, bless them with long healthy lives. And we also praise You for the bold language of the Bible: GO INTO ACTION FOR US.  I especially need to see Your power displayed in this area of my life _________________________, and may You grant my request before the year is out. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Saddle Your Horse!

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD" Proverbs 21:31.

Tuesday greetings,

You and I were created to use our brains and make meaningful contributions in this life.  We were made to grow in our responsibilities.  Adam, the first human ever created lived in a sin-free world, but he wasn't lounging around sipping virgin piña coladas all days while tamed monkeys fanned him with palm fronds. Adam was hard at work naming the animals.  "Adam gave names to all the cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field" Genesis 2:20.  I am certain God could have easily done this Himself, but He knows that when we have something to do it makes our lives more meaningful. I can't imagine lying around all day and doing nothing.  I enjoy feeling productive and like what I have done has made a difference. I like that God expects me to do my part - that I should and do have active faith.

Even so I have met all sorts of folks who are all about placing a lot of responsibility on God and not nearly enough on themselves.    

“I don’t wear a seat belt because God will protect me.”

“I don’t need health insurance because God is my doctor.”

“I know God has a soul mate for me, and He will send the right one my way even though I never go out because I am too busy binge watching TV.”

God does heal, protect, and provide, but we just learned in the very beginning of the Bible that Adam named the animals.  We all have to do our part!  Noah built the ark, Moses lifted the staff to part the Red Sea, David yanked back on that slingshot and let the stones fly straight into Goliath’s forehead, Hannah had to make love to her husband to get pregnant with the child God promised, and Christ Himself became human to save our souls.

We prepare, plan, battle, and pray, and God gives the victory. We have a job to do, and God does as well. The verse in the heading makes us responsible for saddling up the horse but puts the responsibility for the win in God's capable hands!

Amazing things happen when our measly selves partner with God.  Giants tumble and children of promise are born.   Obstacles that block our path move out of the way and entire families are saved!

What victory does God have for us today?  Better yet, what do we need to be preparing, planning, and praying over so God can bring the victory?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We want to be ready, and the first step in any good battle plan is to pray.  Give us the wisdom to saddle up our “horses” to be effective in battle.  And thank You that the victory is in Your hands!  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~  

For This Child I Prayed~

TGIF Greetings!

 

One thing we all have in common is that we all have moms, and this Sunday is a day that is set aside to honor moms. So today let's take a look at one fabulous, inspiring mom from the Bible. Her name is Hannah.

 

Hannah could not get pregnant. She longed for a child, and it was heartbreaking. To make matters worse, others in her community made fun of her because she couldn't get pregnant ( I guess mean girls have always been a problem), and, surprise surprise, her own husband didn't understand her. He was so thoughtful that in 1 Samuel 1:8 he asks her, "Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

 

What did Hannah do?

 

I Samuel 1:11-12, "Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried—inconsolably.'Oh, God...take a good, hard look at my pain, go into action for me by giving me a son, I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline."

 

Verse 19 tells us that as Hannah and her husband made love, "God began making the necessary arrangements in response to what she had asked."

 

First, let's address a couple of notable points from this passage.

 

Sometimes we are going to be crushed in our souls. It's part of life. Hannah didn't turn to anyone or anything but her Lord. He is always a good starting point when we are inconsolable. She was also bold. Can we really tell God to go into action for us? Yes!

 

And it's true. The Bible also says Hannah and her husband made love. Amen! This is part of God's design for marriage, and it's beautiful. Why would He shy away from something He created? Notice that Hannah and her husband had to literally do something for God to move supernaturally. You can't ask for a baby then sit back and not sleep with your hubby. So many things in life boil down to taking a step of faith. That is a principle we can almost apply universally.

 

"Lord, help me get into college." God says, "Fill out the application."

"Lord, help me meet the right person to marry." God says, "Follow my guidelines for who is and who isn't a good companion and go out on a date."

"Lord, help me love my spouse whom I don' t like that much anymore." God says, "Love is not a feeling; it's an action. Cook him dinner."

"Lord, I need more income." God says, "Schedule some job interviews. I've got your back."

 

There is a pattern here for us to follow. We pray, and then we act accordingly.

 

Nevertheless, God began doing His new thing--making a way--bringing rivers of new life into Hannah's barrenness, and verse 20 says, "Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, 'I asked God for him.'”

 

We pray; He hears. Amen amen amen!

 

And if you are a mom, want to be a mom, or are currently pregnant, please take this next verse to heart and cherish it forever.

This chapter concludes with Hannah joyfully testifying, "For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to Him."

 

FOR THIS CHILD I PRAYED!

 

When moms pray amazing things happen in their families. Samuel grew up to be a mighty man of God who was powerful and prominent in his nation of Israel.

 

And one more thing. Hannah went from being unable to have children to eventually becoming a mom to three more sons and two daughters. Glory :)

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, Thank You for moms. Some of our moms are in Your tender care, and we are grateful that we will see them again. For those moms here on earth, bless them with long healthy lives. We are grateful that Your Word teaches us that when we invite You to go into action for us, You do. We count ourselves among the faithful who can say that we are praying for those we love--especially our children. In Jesus' name, AMEN~