Hannah (Illustration by Joel Spector, 2005)
For years Hannah was obsessed with her longings for a child. Through her struggle, she awakened to a deeper longing inside - the longing for God's glory. She was a true kingdom builder. We learn from Hannah how God uses struggle to reveal more of himself to us and to enlist us in his cause.
Read: 1 Samuel 1:1-20; 2:1-3.9
Something to ponder...
1) Describe a personal longing you have had for something right and good that became the main focus in your relationship with God. How did it affect your relationship with him when he did not grant your request?
2) What was Hannah's main focus in her relationship with God?
3) How did the words and actions of Elkanah and Peninnah intensify her pain? Can you relate to Hannah's desperation?
4) What did Hannah learn about God that helps us understand the way he works in the world and in our personal lives?
5) What have you learned about God during times of struggle and how does knowing him strengthen your passion to the fill the earth with his glory?
Can't remember how to take part? Here's a reminder.
Catch up on the conversation so far here.
4 comments:
'God's silence is not an accurate way to measure what He is doing' - wow!I find it so heartening to think that contrary to all that the circumstances of Hannah's life seemed to be saying, she was was actually anything but forgotten by God.... and that once again, God uses a woman to fulfil a vital part of his eternal plans and purposes. That she was as significant as the three men that follow her in the Samuel narrative.
Yes, indeed! Isn't that a wonderful reminder that God's silence does not say anything about God is doing in our lives as we often think? The section that interests is most is the lesson that we learn about prayer - where it is not only a way of talking to God but a way of "talking to ourselves" -telling ourselves the truth about God.
I too thought that was helpful - that prayer does its work in our lives by speaking to us while we talk to God. It's a great encouragement to those who think that God has not heard, or is disinterested purely because the 'answer' doesnt come. Prayer is not in vain!
I enjoyed the previous chapter because it reframed my understanding of a biblical character. I liked this chapter, on the other hand, because it really spoke to my heart. It's really easy for me to get caught up in relating to God out of my personal desires and longings- and of course there is a place for presenting these things to God in prayer. But to pray primarily to remind myself of God's truth and to centre on his glory in my life... Wow - I need to work on this!
God's timing is good. I head back to London tomorrow after an exhausting but really fulfilling time of travel/ministry. And I can relate to Hannah's desperation as I return - the feelings of 'what if God has forgotten me? shouldn't I be going forward instead of back?' It has been helpful to see my circumstance in the light of the truth in this chapter. It is all about God's glory. He hasn't forgotten the way I take. He just works in the silence.
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