Finding Favor

Hannah received assurance that her prayers would be answered from the priest Eli.  He said to her, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him."  And she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight."  Hannah needed favor from God.  Sometimes we ask other people for a favor.  We ask because there is something that we are not able to do and we need help.  We also need God's favor in our lives.  Hannah could not have children, and only through God's favor would she be able to conceive.  From the day Eli spoke, Hannah's face was no longer sad.  Samuel was born, and 1 Sam. 2:26 says, "And the child Samuel grew in stature and in favor both with the Lord and men."  This statement is so similar to Luke 2:52 where it is said, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."  There are parallels in the lives of Samuel and Jesus:  They were both born of supernatural birth, both dedicated to God, both served God, both were prophetic and lived by hearing the voice of God, and both increased in favor with God and men.  Pro. 3:3,4 tells us this favor is for us also.  "Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem, in the sight of God and man."  When we keep God's Word, and do not forget His law, we will find favor, both with God and man.  Look after the Word, and the Word will look after you.  Ps. 30:5 says, "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life;  Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."  Joseph found favor in Potiphar's house, and in the prison.  Pro. 12:2 says, "A good man obtains favor from the Lord."  Deut. 33:23, "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord, Possess the west and the south."  Favor brings us into the blessing of the Lord.  Favor makes what is impossible with men, to be possible.  Favor, like grace, is God's supernatural strength and ability.  With favor, we become possessors of God's blessings.  God's kindness is known to us by giving us favor.  His favor is for you!

Are you taking care of the Word, and depending on God's favor?

Heard By God

Hannah was the wife of Elkanah, but she was not the only wife.  Peninnah was also married to Elkanah, and Penninah had sons and daughters.  Hannah was loved by Elkanah, but she was unable to have children, something that was looked on as a curse in that day.  1 Sam. 1:6 says, "And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb."  This was a very difficult time in Hannah's life.  Every year the family went to worship at the temple at Shiloh, and every year Hannah was so grieved, and refused to eat.  Hannah's life portrays the Christian life, as we go through the difficult times and trials that come our way.  She was trusting God, and praying, and yet there seemed to be no answer.  She not only dealt with the fact that she couldn't have children, but she also had to deal with the pain of unanswered prayer.  She was in bitterness of soul, and cried out in anguish to the Lord.  She promised the Lord that if He would give her a son, that she would give him back to the Lord.  Eli saw her lips moving, and thought she was drunk.  Hannah replied that she had poured out her soul before the Lord, with her complaint and her grief.  Eli's word to her was this, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him."  Hannah said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight."  Hannah went her way, and ate, and her face was no longer sad.  Hannah received her answer that day.  She knew she had received from the Lord.  The peace of God filled her heart and mind.  She knew she had received favor.  Her answer was on its way.  Shortly after, she conceived, and when the child was born, she called him Samuel.  The word Samuel means "heard by God."  Now her grief and bitterness and anguish was turned into joy.  God doesn't waste your pain.  He will turn your sorrow into joy.  Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.  God will work all things together for good, for those who love God.  Every time Hannah called Samuel's name, she was reminded that she had been heard by God.  We too are heard by God.  Even when prayer is seemingly unanswered, we can be assured that we have been heard by God.  We can take courage from Samuel, that God hears us when we pray, and that we can trust Him through the pain and the grief. 

How do you respond to seemingly unanswered prayer?

In The Middle Of It

In Matt. 14 Jesus strongly urged His disciples to get into a boat and go to the other side of the lake.  It had been a very intense time for all of them.  They had experienced the death of John the Baptist, and then as they went away into a deserted place, they were followed by over 5000 people.  Jesus healed the sick, and they fed the multitude.  Now Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and go.  The disciples were out on the lake, and Jesus was having alone time with the Father.  How much we need alone time with our Heavenly Father!  "But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary."We must not forget that while we may be having communion with the Father, others may be in a fight for their lives.  Now, in the middle of the sea, the disciples are being tossed, slapped back and forth by the waves, with the wind beating down against them.  These seasoned fishermen knew they may die out in this storm.  They are in the middle of it.  There will be times in the Christian life when we feel we are in the middle of it!  We will be tossed by the circumstances, being caught up in a storm that we didn't even see coming.  The disciples previous experience did not prepare them for this.  They had been caught in a storm before with Jesus in the boat, but this time Jesus is no where to be seen.  This time it was different.  Past experience is no guarantee of future performance!  They felt alone and lost, and without faith.  Jesus comes to them in the most unexpected way and in the most unusual way!  The disciples see Him walking on the sea, and cry out for fear, thinking it is a ghost, a sign of impending death.  Mark's version of the story says "...and He would have passed them by."  Jesus wants us to cry out in our time of need.  Jesus' words cut across everything they are thinking and feeling, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  The Word brings peace in the middle of our storm.  Peter invites himself out into the water to walk with Jesus.  We are free to invite ourselves out in our walk with God.  When we want more, we can find more.  We are welcome to walk with Jesus in the middle of our storm.  Even in the middle of it, we can know the presence and power of Jesus, and walk in the supernatural with Him. 

What do you do when you are in the middle of it?

Shift Into Obedience

Heb. 5:8 tells us that Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered.  We learn obedience every time we choose God's will over our own will.  This is especially true when our choice to follow God brings suffering into our lives.  Jesus could have got out of the suffering and agony.  He could have called to the Father, and had 12 legions of angels come to deliver Him, but He would not give in to the flesh and take the easy way out.  He endured the stress, even when drops of blood formed on his skin, and fell to the ground.  He would let nothing stop him to do God's will.  Phil. 2 tells us that He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

The choice that Moses made brought suffering into his life.  He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.  God was working out a plan for their deliverance from Egypt.  Moses was reluctant to obey, and tried to get out of what God asked of him.  Repeatedly Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Let my people go."  After 10 plagues, Pharaoh finally told them to go.  The time had come for Israel to shift into obedience.  The passover was to be eaten with their belts on, sandals on their feet, and a staff in their hand.  They were to eat it in haste, for it was time to move.  They could not wait, not even until their bread was leavened.  When God said it was time to go, they had to shift into obedience and go.  The timing was perfect, 430 years to the day that they entered Egypt.  Through the Red Sea they experienced their deliverance.  But their obedience was short lived, for only 3 days into the wilderness, they cried out to Moses for water.  Their obedience was not sustained.  It did not become a way of life.  Their minds were not renewed.   They died in the wilderness, just like they said they would.  They got what they said.  It is sustained obedience that brings us through life's trials, and into our destiny.  Sustained obedience is faithfulness.  Trusting God for each new day, and continuing to trust God produces a life of faithfulness.  Can you trust God for one more day?  Trust Him one day at a time, and you will live a life of faithfulness, and fulfill God's will for your life.

Are you making a shift into obedience?

Live In The Present

"There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.'"  Jesus refers to two incidents where people were killed through no fault of their own.  Hard hearted Pilate had some Galileans killed, so he could mix their blood with the Roman sacrifices.  A tower fell in Jerusalem, causing the death of 18 men.  It seems the mindset of the people in Jesus' day was that if bad things happened, it must have been because there was sin in the the lives of those who suffered.  People look for answers when tragedy strikes, and sometimes come to the wrong conclusions!  In neither case of these examples were the people who suffered at fault.  The Galileans suffered because of Pilate's cruelty, and the 18 men in Siloam died because of a faulty tower that fell.  Jesus did not give an explanation as to why these things happened, but He addressed the present need .  He said, "But unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  When we experience tragedy, it is not time to cast blame on others, nor to wallow in our grief by asking why, but it is time to examine our own hearts, for we will all face death sometime.  The important thing is that we are right with God.  Life is short, even if we live a long life.  We are not to stay in the past asking why, but live in the present saying, "God, here's my life, I give it to You.  I repent of every sin and ask you to forgive me now.  I commit my life to You, and trust You to lead and guide me.  I will live for You.  Show me how You would have me to live.  Show me what You would have me to do.  I am now Your servant.  I will not lean on my own understanding, but will acknowledge You in all my ways.  I will walk with You, and live for You all the days of my life.  I love You Jesus, and I now turn my life over to You."  This is living in the present, and preparation for the future.  Now you are ready to live for today!

Are you living for the past, or in the present?

Suffering

"Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered."  Heb. 5:8.  Suffering is an unavoidable part of life.  Jesus suffered because of His obedience to His Father.  We too will suffer as we live in obedience to God.  Sometimes suffering happens because of the oppression of others.  The children of Israel suffered under the Egyptians as they were forced to make bricks, and had to gather the straw themselves.  They cried out to God because of their suffering.  Our world has seen many genocides because of the oppression of others.  Today, the people of Darfur in Sudan have suffered tremendously.  Over 480,000 people have been murdered, and over 1.2 million have been displaced.  Sometimes we suffer because of the sins of others.  Among those taken captive by Babylon were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.  These were godly young men who would not compromise their faith, yet Daniel was cast into the lion's den, and the 3 Hebrew men were thrown into the fiery furnace.  Thankfully, God protected them even through their suffering.  Sometimes we suffer because of our own sin.  1 Pet. 4:15 says, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters."  When we engage in unlawful and criminal activity, we are going to bring suffering upon ourselves.  Sometimes we suffer because of calamity.  Jesus told the story in Luke 13 about a tower that fell and 18 men were killed.  It was an accident that claimed 18 lives.  Accidents happen every day, and we suffer from them, at no fault of our own.  Jesus said the important thing is that we repent, lest we also perish as they did.  In this world we will have tribulation.  Just by living in this fallen world, we will encounter suffering.  When we live godly in Christ, we will suffer persecution.  Paul said, "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake."  Peter wrote his first letter to the pilgrims of the dispersion, scattered because of their faith, 1 Peter 1:1.  Repeatedly he addressed their suffering in his letter, and encouraged them.  "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps."  Though He was reviled and suffered, He committed Himself to God, and bore our sins on the tree, by whose stripes we were healed!  Because of Christ's suffering, we can freely say that, by His stripes, we were healed.

Will you allow suffering to make you more like Jesus? 

Learning Obedience

Heb. 5:7,8 says, "who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered."  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced His impending suffering and death.  With strong cries and tears so intense that great drops of blood formed on His skin and fell to the ground, He prayed to His Father asking if there was another way.  Yet He was learning obedience through the things which He suffered.  Jesus could cast out any devil, heal any sickness and disease, feed the multitude, and walk on water, but this trial was one He could not get out of.  He could have taken the easy way out.  Jesus said to Peter that the Father would provide twelve legions of angels to deliver Him, but then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled?  Through the suffering, Jesus chose obedience.  There are times in our lives when we could take the easy way, give into our flesh, and not obey the Lord.  Compromising our faith will be a temptation, but in those times we need to learn obedience.  Everything we depend on must go through testing to prove its strength.  Experience is the test of obedience.  We can study obedience, take a class on its benefits and understand its importance, but only by experience can our obedience be tested.  Often, obedience is tested through suffering.  Obedience is easy when we are getting what we want, but obedience is tested through the hard times, stress and trials.  The early Christians faced tremendous persecution for their faith.  They were scattered throughout Asia Minor and paid a great price for their obedience to Jesus.  In Heb. 13:3 we are told to remember the prisoners as if we were chained with them, and those who are mistreated since we are also in the body.  In many places in the world today, believers are suffering for confessing their faith in Christ as their Savior.  They are in prisons, mistreated, persecuted, and are suffering for their faith.  Today we must learn obedience, even through suffering, that we might say as Jesus did, "...nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

How are you learning obedience through your suffering?