The Lord Will Remember You
There was a certain man from Ramathaim...whose name was Elkanah...He had two wives...Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none...Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year...In her deep anguish, Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly...
Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli (the priest) thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk?”... “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.”…
Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him.”…
Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her...Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.” (I Samuel 1:1-20).
Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli (the priest) thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk?”... “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.”…
Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him.”…
Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her...Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.” (I Samuel 1:1-20).
And the LORD remembered her! And the LORD remembered her! And the LORD remembered her! Through no fault of hers, Hannah was barren. The LORD had closed her womb!
Hannah’s barrenness made her the target of her rival’s ridicule and jokes. Year after year, she suffered the pain of barrenness aggravated by the provocative stares and cruel ridicule of her rival. I can only imagine the excruciating pain Hannah suffered. Even Hannah’s Pastor, Eli, initially wrote her off as a drunken woman when she was passionately pouring out her soul to God at the altar. But God had a plan in place. Hannah called on God. The LORD remembered Hannah and blessed her with a son!
Question: Do you find yourself in a place where everyone is writing you off as a lost cause? Are you the subject of endless jokes because your situation seems hopeless? The reality is that no one knows the final tally but God alone! God is full of surprises. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to His power that is at work in us.
I can testify to that! For seventeen years, my wife and I were childless. The longing for children was real but we never allowed that to distract us from living fulfilling lives and serving the Lord. God had a surprise in place all along. He blessed us with twins - a boy and a girl! God remembered us!
God is still remembering. No matter how long the wait has been and no matter how painful the provocation might be, cry out to the Lord and rise up from the altar with a changed countenance because God has not forgotten about you. The Lord will remember you. God still remembers!
Hannah’s barrenness made her the target of her rival’s ridicule and jokes. Year after year, she suffered the pain of barrenness aggravated by the provocative stares and cruel ridicule of her rival. I can only imagine the excruciating pain Hannah suffered. Even Hannah’s Pastor, Eli, initially wrote her off as a drunken woman when she was passionately pouring out her soul to God at the altar. But God had a plan in place. Hannah called on God. The LORD remembered Hannah and blessed her with a son!
Question: Do you find yourself in a place where everyone is writing you off as a lost cause? Are you the subject of endless jokes because your situation seems hopeless? The reality is that no one knows the final tally but God alone! God is full of surprises. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to His power that is at work in us.
I can testify to that! For seventeen years, my wife and I were childless. The longing for children was real but we never allowed that to distract us from living fulfilling lives and serving the Lord. God had a surprise in place all along. He blessed us with twins - a boy and a girl! God remembered us!
God is still remembering. No matter how long the wait has been and no matter how painful the provocation might be, cry out to the Lord and rise up from the altar with a changed countenance because God has not forgotten about you. The Lord will remember you. God still remembers!
Prayer: Father, please remember all who are waiting on you for an unmet need as was the case with Hannah. May you remember them and may the fruit you give them affect your Kingdom as wonderfully as Samuel did! Amen.