Hannah A Woman Of Prayer And Faith Part III

     Hannah's Prayer

     Continuing with our message on "Hannah A Woman Of Prayer and Faith" let's read her prayer in verse 11 of I Samuel 1.

     Verse 11:  She vowed, saying, O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your handmaid and (earnestly) remember, and not forget Your handmaid but will give me a son, I will give him to the Lord all his life; no razor shall touch his head.

     What is a "vow"?  it is a promise, an oath, guarantee, it is swearing to do something by giving your word and following through with that vow no matter what.  

     Have you ever made a "vow" to God?  and if you did, did you keep that "vow"? 

     I remember when I found out that I was pregnant with my second child I began to pray and asked God for a boy. Our first child was a beautiful baby girl and for her we were very grateful and loved her with our whole hearts. But like many other men my husband really wanted a boy and of course I wanted a boy for him.  So I began to pray, believe and trust God that I would have that son for my husband.  I remember praying and making a vow to God that if He would give me a son that I would dedicate him and give him back to God to use for His glory.  I promised God that I would raise him up in a christian home and that I would teach him, lead him and guide him to know, serve and worship Jesus.  And so on May 21, 1971, weighing 5lbs. 6ozs., our son Ron was born.  And the vow I had made to God, I followed through with, because when I made that vow, I meant it with my whole heart and I knew that God had a plan and a purpose for our son.

     Ron had been born almost a month early due to my body rejecting the pregnancy and so the labor began.  My labor was intense and so they gave me a saddle block to numb my abdomen so I would not feel the labor pains.  The hours passed by slowly and my time in labor reached 27 hours but I had only dilated to three.  As they continued to monitor the baby's heart beat they noticed that it was getting weaker and weaker due to the long labor and so the doctor told us that we needed to make a decision quickly, because his life was in danger. Our options were to take the baby as soon as possible by Cesarean or wait it out to see if I would dilate for a normal birth. We made the decision to go ahead and take him by Cesarean and I turned to my mother and father who were their at the hospital with me and asked them to pray.  So they immediately got on the phone and started calling people to pray for a miracle.  One of those that they called was my grandma Hines, who was a prayer warrior.

     In the mean time the doctor and nurses began prepping me for surgery and said that they would need to get an ex ray to find out the position of the baby.  So they took me up the elevator to have an ex ray done and while I was laying on the table trying to be still for the ex ray, I began to have feeling in my abdomen and back and the pains started again, but this time they were unbearable.  By the time I got back down and off of the elevator the doctor took one look at me and said; oh my goodness, get this girl to the delivery room this baby is crowning.  And so our son was born but he was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his little neck and they had a hard time getting him to take his first breath. I remember turning my head to my left as they carried him to the incubator and seeing my son looking so limp, purple and lifeless.  The doctor immediately called in the Pediatrician to check him out and one of the tests they did was to check for any brain damage due to a lack of oxygen to our baby's brain.  
     What they found out after looking at the ex ray was that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck and with each labor pain his little head would try and push down the birth canal but the umbilical cord would pull tighter and tighter around his neck therefore cutting off oxygen to his brain.  After seeing my son being carried away by the nurses and not able to hold him,  I knew things did not look good for our son and so I began to pray and cry out to God.  We needed another miracle and I remember having such faith and thinking God you spared our son and you have given him life so there must be a reason and purpose why he was born. That night the Pediatrician came into my room with a great big smile on his face and said that I have great news for you, your son has no brain damage but he will need to stay in the hospital for three weeks due to his lungs not being completely developed.  After two week in the hospital we were able to bring him home and we rejoiced and thanked God for another miracle. 

     At three months of age we dedicated our son back to God and I reaffirmed my vow.  Today He is a 5'11"-200lb muscular man that is healthy and loves God with his whole heart.  He is a Correctional Officer/Fire Fighter and lives in Redding, California.  God is using him to reach many felon's in the prison system with the gospel and mentoring them in the ways of the Lord.  He is a blessing to not only his family but to everyone he comes in contact with.  Thank you again Jesus for our miracle.

Next week part IV

Blessings,

Elma Garlock

Hannah A Woman Of Prayer And Faith Part II

     Let's continue now with Part II of our message on "Hannah A Woman Of Prayer And Faith".  Our main scripture text is found in I Samuel 1:4-10.

     Verse 4:  When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give to Peninnah his wife and all her sons and daughters portions (of the sacrificial meat).

     Verse 5:  But to Hannah he gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but the Lord had given her no children.

     Verse 6:  This embarrassed and grieved Hannah and her rival provoked her greatly to vex her, because the Lord had left her childless.

     Verse 7:  And it happened year after year as often as she went upon to the House of the Lord, she (Peninnah) would provoke her, so she wept and would not eat.

     When a person intentionally sets out to "provoke" someone; what are they trying to do? 

     If we look up the word "provoke" this is what it means:  To make somebody angry or indignant, to stir them up intentionally to the point so they incite an emotional response.

     And when you "vex" someone what you are doing is:  purposely annoying them to the point of them getting upset and become anxious and distressed.

 So how did Hannah respond to all of the provoking and vexation from Penninnah?

1.  Hannah may have been embarrassed, grieved and felt like her heart was going to break because of Peninnah's words, but Hannah didn't let the negative words change her mind  nor stop her from trusting in the Lord.
2.  She could have let all of the rejection, hurt, suffering and humiliation harden her heart towards God and her husband, but she didn't.
3.  Hannah's faith in her God did not waver because of her circumstances. 
4.  Hannah had to make a decision and that was that she could choose to stay in despair and hopelessness or she could press into God with all of her heart, soul and faith.
 
Now let's go to verse 9 and find out what Hannah decision was:

     Verse 9:  So Hannah rose after they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh.  Now Eli the priest was sitting on his seat beside a post of the temple (tent) of the Lord.

     At that moment in time, Hannah had reached her end and had suffered enough. She knew it was up to her to do something about her situation. This decision would be a decision that would affect destiny and purpose for her and the son that God had predestined to be born into this world.

     And verse 10 goes on to say:

     Verse 10:  And (Hannah) was in distress of soul, praying to the Lord and weeping bitterly.

     And even though Hannah was desperate for a child, she stood as a woman of faith and a woman who trusted her God, a God that would hear and answer her prayer.

     This was the beginning of the breakthrough she so desperately needed and so she rose above her circumstances and sought God with tears of desperation. 

     How many of us have prayed a passionate prayer like Hannah prayed that day?  When you are passionate about something or someone you express intense and overpowering emotion and desire.  This kind of prayer becomes a prayer of desperation and this kind of prayer touches God's heart. 

     When we become desperate in our circumstances or in a situation we can feel frantic, hopeless, despondent, inconsolable, depressed, and oppressed.  So when we are in desperate times they call for desperate actions and desperate prayers.  By this time in Hannah's life she was desperate and this time man could not give her what her heart so desired and she knew that her answer could only come from God. 

       Let me ask you a question:  Are you desperate for an answer from God?  Do you have a Peninnah in your life that tries to discourage you, put you down, oppress you and make you feel worthless?  Believe me the enemy will use anyone and everything to try and stop your destiny and purpose from coming into focus.  But it's up to you to step out of complacency and feeling sorry for yourself and step into action. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and transparent before the Lord and rent your heart and not your garment.  Pour out your soul to the God who answers prayer....Yes, He is the only one who can work in the realm of the impossible......Yes, He is the only one that can create something out of nothing.......Yes, He is the only one who can bring life back in that that was once dead......Yes, He is the only one that can restore what was lost and bless you with double. 

                                                              A word from the Lord

     My children, my desperate ones.  I am getting ready to bring back those that have been lost.  Lost in their sin, lost in their despair, lost in their addiction and hopelessness.  I am the good shepherd and I know my own, and My own know Me.  Didn't I say that If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?  I have been searching for those that have gone stray and have found them and will bring them back.  For this is My time and My season for the prodigal sons and daughters to come back.  I will bring them in from the highways and the by ways of this world and transform them just like I transformed Paul and they will have life changing, earth shaking experiences with Me because they have been called and destinies time is now.  For the darkness that has followed them and the blindness that has covered them shall be dispelled.  Deliverance, salvation and transformation are the keys that will unlock and open up the doors to life for I am taking them out of the grave and speaking life into them....they shall live and not die so they can proclaim the glory of the Lord and My kingdom shall be established in their hearts.  Be encouraged and begin to decree and declare their liberty, and their freedom, for when you do, your faith rises and it touches My heart..because  without faith it is impossible to please Me; for he that comes to Me must believe that I Am, and the I Am a rewarder of then who diligently seek Me says the  Spirit of the Lord. 

Next week Part III - Hannah's prayer

Blessings,


Elma Garlock                                                                                                                             

Hannah A Woman Of Prayer and Faith Part I

       The story of Hannah occurs during the latter period of the Judges. The nation of Israel had entered the promised land of Canaan and settled there approximately 350 years prior. As a nation, Israel had become idolatrous and was constantly being disciplined by the Lord. However, some people remained true and worshipped faithfully the one true God called Yahweh(the Lord). Elkanah, the husband of Hannah was one of the faithful.

In I Samuel 1:1 & 2 it tells us:

      Verse 1: Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim from the Country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

      Verse 2: And he had two wives; the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

      If we look up the meaning of Elkahan's name this is what it says: God has taken possession or God has created.

      Elkahan was a Levite, a spiritual leader and assisted the priests in instructing and teaching the people so some commentaries say. Later in the message we will see that Elkahan lived up to the meaning of his name.

      Now let's see what "Hannah's" name means: Grace and Favored

      And "Peninnah", Elkahan's second wife name means: Turn or a sharp angle.

      But why did Elkahan have two wives?

      The reason for having two wives is found in the Israelite's terror of childlessness. And even though this wasn't a normal practice for an Israelite man, it said that a man could not look forward to personal survival after death, but he could survive in his children, who would keep his name alive among men. Just as Jacob was not merely an individual but the whole nation which was descended from him, so any man's personality consisted not of himself alone but of all those whom he would continue to live in succeeding generations.

      It was therefore a great indignity for a wife to be unable to bear her husband children, and since it was the desire of every Hebrew parent to have a son, it was a reproach to Hannah that she was barren. She would have been considered a disgrace to her husband, shamed, even pointed out, talked about and laughed at in the streets. She would have suffered greatly and felt like a failure as a woman and as a wife.

      What does it mean to be "barren"? It means they are sterile and unable to produce children after your own kind. It can also mean: unable to produce fruit or seed with valuable results. Think about this word and what it represents in the spiritual realm.

      In Ecclesiastes 3: 1 & 2 it tells us:

      Verse 1: To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven.
      Verse 2: A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted.

      God was working His appointed season and time for Hannah. There is no way Hannah could have know of the divine plan, purpose and destiny God had for her and the child Samuel she would conceive, give birth to and consecrate back to Him.

      Continuing with our main scripture lets go now and read verse 6 of I Samuel 3.

      Verse 6: Her rival (Peninnah) would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.

      The word "rival" in verse 6 is a common Hebrew word that means: Adversary and comes from the root word: To vex and is only used when talking about a fellow wife.

      This word describes the actions of Peninnah towards Hannah due to her jealousy. The scripture tells that Elkanah loved Hannah and he showed Hannah favor over Peninnah and her children. So Peninnah was relentless in her pursuit to make Hannah feel worthless, depressed and kept her in despair.

      The Interpreters bible says that Hannah's childlessness is attributed to the direct action of the Lord, just as His direct action was required in conception. It was the belief that a large family was a reward of virtue, and that barrenness was a sign of divine displeasure. One of the promises of God to Israel was that He would bless the fruit of their womb and that no male or female would be barren among them (Deut. 7:13 & 14). Peninnah knowing this promise just couldn't pass up the opportunity to suggest that a misfortune such as Hannah's could only be a punishment for sin.

      Peninnah's actions remind me of how the enemy will use people to come against you with a self righteous accusing attitude and a critical spirit. They have already judged you and found you guilty, because everything is filtered through a religious spirit. So they think and even may say to others; oh they are sick or they are being punished because they sinned. Or they might say; God is just trying to teach them a lesson. Has this ever happened to you?

      Let's talk a minute about the word "provoke" in verse 6. When someone is provoked as Hannah was it causes that person to be stirred with anger, it frustrates them and can either trigger a positive reaction or a negative reaction. If being provoked is handled correctly, it will bring the heart to a decision to take action in a constructive way.

      We will find out later what kind of action Hannah took. Verse 6 goes on to say that: The Lord had closed her (Hannah's) womb.

      When something has been"closed" the dictionary describes this word to mean that: Someone or something has been denied access to, that it is impassable, blocked and impenetrable.

      And the word "womb" means: A place of origin, a place where something is conceived, nurtured and a place of security, protection, shelter and comfort.

      So what happened to Hannah in the "natural" is what can happen to us in the "spiritual" and what we begin to experience is:

      1. We feel"barren" in our prayer life.
      2. We see no lasting fruit being produced in or through our daily life or ministry
      3. We know seeds have been planted through prayer and the word, but change is
           slow and lasting results flee when we are being tested.

      And why are we experiencing these things? Because the womb of our spirit have been closed. And not because of anything we have or haven't done, but it is because of the "timing of God".

      Remember what Ecclesiastes 3:1 said? There is an appointed time for everything - A time for every prayer to be answered - A time for every seed to burst forth with life - A time for rain to come to water the dry ground so fruit can be produced - A time for change, healing, deliverance, restoration and action.

      Remember: Just because a prayer is not answered in your timing or in the way you think it should be answered.... doesn't mean the answer is no or never.

Next week Part II

Blessings,

Elma Garlock