Blessed Barrenness

Reflect:
I Samuel 1:1-3:21

“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD….‘[do] not forget your servant but give her a son…’” ~I Samuel 1:10-11

Nobody really understands the pain of desiring children but not being able to have any like the barren. Hannah was a childless woman in a culture where children meant everything—a woman’s worth and desirability to her husband, her bragging rights at family gatherings, the admiration of the other women at the market, her husband’s ammunition for one-upping the other guys hanging out at the city gates, as well as a whole host of other cultural notches on the proverbial belt that came with having kids.

There was one other benefit to having children that had an even more significant meaning to married couples in Israel: perpetual life. You see, through posterity, the family DNA, the family name, the family’s unending future would be carried forth in perpetuity.

In light of all that, Hannah’s grief over having no children is more than most of us could ever begin to understand—unless, of course, you have suffered the disappointment of barrenness yourself. Even her husband, Elkanah, didn’t get it:

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” (I Samuel 1:8, NLT)

Either he was a complete dolt or an insensitive brute—or perhaps both. But Elkannah wasn’t alone in this matter: Even Hannah’s pastor wouldn’t have placed in a Mr. Sensitive contest. He accused her of being drunk as she silently poured out her heart to the Lord:

“Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. ‘Must you come here drunk?’ he demanded. ‘Throw away your wine!’” (I Samuel 1:13-14, NLT)

Hannah was alone in her grief, and even worse, she had no hope that things would be any different in the future; she was destined to a life of barrenness. So what’s a misunderstood, hopeless, devastated, childless woman to do? Here’s what Hannah did: She worshiped.

You will notice in the story that Hannah went before the Lord year after year—she persisted. She poured out her heart, time and time again—she trusted. She faithfully presented herself in sacrificial worship before the Lord not only with her husband, but also with his other wife, a mean-spirited rival named Penninah (I Samuel 1:7)—she pressed into God.

As difficult as her situation was, Hannah worshiped the One who had her life, including all its details, big and small, in his good hands. And finally, in timing understood only by God, he granted her request and Hannah bore Samuel, who grew up to be the greatest of Israel’s prophets.

Hannah worshiped! That’s what you and I must learn to do, too, until worship becomes our first and best response to not only the delightful, but to the devastating things in life. If you are a childless woman whose pain and disappointment is understood only by God—worship him. He is your only hope and the One who knows his plans for your life—plans that are always good, even when you don’t particularly like them. And if you are suffering other kinds of barrenness—in your relationships, your finances, your career, your ministry or whatever—offer him your worship. He knows your way, and he knows his plans for you. (Jeremiah 29:11)

As tough as it may be to offer your worship to the Lord when things aren’t going your way, it’s the best and only thing that will set your heart right.

“To be grateful for an unanswered prayer, to give thanks in a state of interior desolation, to trust in the love of God in the face of the marvels, cruel circumstances, obscenities, and commonplaces of life is to whisper a doxology in darkness.” ~ Brennan Manning

Reflect and Apply: Reflect on Manning’s statement. If we dare, offer a prayer of gratitude, in sincerity and by faith, for whatever unanswered prayer is on your prayer list.

 

 

 

Blessed Barrenness

Essential 100—Read:
I Samuel 1:1-3:21

“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD….‘[do] not forget your servant but give her a son…’” ~I Samuel 1:10-11

Nobody really understands the pain of desiring children but not being able to have any like the barren. Hannah was a childless woman in a culture where children meant everything—a woman’s worth and desirability to her husband, her bragging rights at family gatherings, the admiration of the other women at the market, her husband’s ammunition for one-upping the other guys hanging out at the city gates, as well as a whole host of other cultural notches on the proverbial belt that came with having kids.

There was one other benefit to having children that had an even more significant meaning to married couples in Israel: perpetual life.  You see, through posterity, the family DNA, the family name, the family’s unending future would be carried forth in perpetuity.

In light of all that, Hannah’s grief over having no children is more than most of us could ever begin to understand—unless, of course, you have suffered the disappointment of barrenness yourself. Even her husband, Elkanah, didn’t get it:

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” (I Samuel 1:8, NLT)

Either he was a complete dolt or an insensitive brute—or perhaps both. But Elkannah wasn’t alone in this matter: Even Hannah’s pastor wouldn’t have placed in a Mr. Sensitive contest. He accused her of being drunk as she silently poured out her heart to the Lord:

“Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. ‘Must you come here drunk?’ he demanded. ‘Throw away your wine!’” (I Samuel 1:13-14, NLT)

Hannah was alone in her grief, and even worse, she had no hope that things would be any different in the future; she was destined to a life of barrenness. So what’s a misunderstood, hopeless, devastated, childless woman to do?  Here’s what Hannah did: She worshiped.

You will notice in the story that Hannah went before the Lord year after year—she persisted. She poured out her heart, time and time again—she trusted. She faithfully presented herself in sacrificial worship before the Lord not only with her husband, but also with his other wife, a mean-spirited rival named Penninah (I Samuel 1:7)—she pressed into God.

As difficult as her situation was, Hannah worshiped the One who had her life, including all its details, big and small, in his good hands.  And finally, in timing understood only by God, he granted her request and Hannah bore Samuel, who grew up to be the greatest of Israel’s prophets.

Hannah worshiped! That’s what you and I must learn to do, too, until worship becomes our first and best response to not only the delightful, but to the devastating things in life. If you are a childless woman whose pain and disappointment is understood only by God—worship him. He is your only hope and the One who knows his plans for your life—plans that are always good, even when you don’t particularly like them. And if you are suffering other kinds of barrenness—in your relationships, your finances, your career, your ministry or whatever—offer him your worship.  He knows your way, and he knows his plans for you. (Jeremiah 29:11)

As tough as it may be to offer your worship to the Lord when things aren’t going your way, it’s the best and only thing that will set your heart right.

“To be grateful for an unanswered prayer, to give thanks in a state of interior desolation, to trust in the love of God in the face of the marvels, cruel circumstances, obscenities, and commonplaces of life is to whisper a doxology in darkness.” ~ Brennan Manning

Reflect and Apply: Reflect on Manning’s statement.  If we dare, offer a prayer of gratitude, in sincerity and by faith, for whatever unanswered prayer is on your prayer list.

 

 

 

Why God Doesn’t Answer Prayer

Read Proverbs 28

Featured Verse: Proverbs 28:9, MESSAGE

“God has no use for the prayers of the people who won’t listen to him.”

I am partly disturbed, partly humored by the growing number of people in our culture who don’t seem to think God has any moral standards to which he holds human beings accountable.  And there are even more than a few Christians who now think that way, too!

We seem to want a God created in our image—a God of grace but not justice; a God of love but not righteousness; a God who takes everyone to heaven but sends no one to hell; a God who gives us everything we want but never expects anything of us.  That sounds more like a kindly old grandfather in the sky than the God who has revealed himself through the Bible. In reality, a God who makes no moral demands and holds no one to account is a capricious and unloving being—and that is not the kind of God I want to serve.

Yes, God is loving, gracious, kind, forgiving, patient, generous and infinitely fair, but he also expects us to hold up our end of the bargain.  Now to be sure, our end of the bargain is miniscule compared to the infinite weight of grace on his end, but still, he has some expectations of us: Not a track record of perfection, mind you, but the offering of a lovingly obedient heart. Card carrying members of the family of God have but one requirement, which Jesus summed up in John 14:15,

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

Of course, we will never perfectly live up to our end of the deal, but with his ever-present help, he expects us to give it our best shot. And when we fail, he has provided forgiveness through his Son, Jesus (you may want to review I John 1:9 on that one).  Again, it is not about perfection, but obedience; it is not about earning, but effort.

So if we think and act like this is a one-sided deal, we have another thing coming.  And one of the things we’ll find is that, contrary to all the Christian clichés, God will not answer our prayers.  If we’re not going to listen to him, why should he listen to us?  Actually, there are a fair amount of verses in the Bible that specifically point this out:

  •  If we aren’t forgiving of others, God won’t receive our prayers. (Matthew 5:24, 6:14)
  • If we aren’t loving with our spouse, God won’t entertain our prayers. (I Peter 3:7)
  • If we aren’t compassionate toward the poor, God won’t hear our prayers. (Proverbs 21:13)
  • If we aren’t faithful in our giving, God won’t answer our prayers. (Malachi 3:8-9)

And the list goes on and on as to how God responds to those who don’t respond to his word—and it’s pretty scary.  On the other hand, there are many wonderful promises for those who give effort to hold up their end of the bargain, and believe me, when we do, the weight of Divine grace shifts to our side in ways that our eternal gratitude will never be able to repay.

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”  ~II Chronicles 16:9

Winning At Life:

Although we are saved by God’s grace and not by our righteous works, and therefore cannot earn salvation, we can, and must give effort to work out our salvation (read Philippians 2:12-13).  Write down an area in your life where you need to give greater effort in order to be more lovingly obedient to Christ’s commands—then ask him for help.  He will hear you!

The God Who Doesn’t Answer Prayer

Read: Proverbs 28:15

God has no use for the prayers of the people who won’t listen to him. (Message)

I am partly disturbed, partly humored by the growing number of people in our culture who don’t seem to think God has any moral standards to which he holds human beings accountable.  And there are even more than a few Christians who now think that way, too!

We seem to want a God created in our image—a God of grace but not justice; a God of love but not righteousness; a God who takes everyone to heaven but sends no one to hell; a God who gives us everything we want but never expects anything of us.  That sounds more like a kindly old grandfather in the sky than the God who has revealed himself through the Bible. In reality, a God who makes no moral demands and holds no one to account is a capricious and unloving being—and that is not the kind of God I want to serve.

Yes, God is loving, gracious, kind, forgiving, patient, generous and infinitely fair, but he also expects us to hold up our end of the bargain.  Now to be sure, our end of the bargain is minuscule compared to the infinite weight of grace on his end, but still, he has some expectations of us: Not a track record of perfection, mind you, but the offering of a lovingly obedient heart. Card carrying members of the family of God have but one requirement, which Jesus summed up in John 14:15,

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

Of course, we will never perfectly live up to our end of the deal, but with his ever-present help, he expects us to give it our best shot. And when we fail, he has provided forgiveness through his Son, Jesus (you may want to review I John 1:9 on that one).  Again, it is not about perfection, but obedience; it is not about earning, but effort.

So if we think and act like this is a one-sided deal, we have another thing coming.  And one of the things we’ll find is that, contrary to all the Christian clichés, God will not answer our prayers.  If we’re not going to listen to him, why should he listen to us?  Actually, there are a fair amount of verses in the Bible that specifically point this out:

If we aren’t forgiving of others, God won’t receive our prayers. (Matthew 5:24, 6:14)

If we aren’t loving with our spouse, God won’t entertain our prayers. (I Peter 3:7)

If we aren’t compassionate toward the poor, God won’t hear our prayers. (Proverbs 21:13)

If we aren’t faithful in our giving, God won’t answer our prayers. (Malachi 3:8-9)

And the list goes on and on as to how God responds to those who don’t respond to his word—and it’s pretty scary.  On the other hand, there are many wonderful promises for those who give effort in holding up their end of the bargain, and believe me, when we do, the weight of Divine grace shifts to our side in ways that our eternal gratitude will never be able to repay.

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen
those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
~II Chronicles 16:9

Your Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept It:

Although we are saved by God’s grace and not by our righteous works, and therefore can never earn our salvation, we can, and must give effort to work out our salvation (read Philippians 2:12-13).  Write down an area in your life where you need to give greater effort in order to be more lovingly obedient to Christ’s commands—then ask him for help.  Those are the kinds of prayers he will hear—and answer!

What Happens To Your Prayers

Read Revelation 5

“And when he took the scroll, the four living beings fell down
before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held
gold bowls filled with incense, which are the
prayers of God’s people.”
(Revelation 5:8)

Thoughts… It is not uncommon for us to feel as if prayer is an exercise in futility; that either our payers are unheard, or if they are, that they don’t really matter. We don’t always feel this way, or else we would never pray. But sometimes we do sense that the heavens are brass and our prayers simply disappear like a puff of smoke into the atmosphere.

According to this verse, however, all of our prayers matter to God. They rise up to heaven and are offered as precious and pleasing incense before his very throne. God will not answer every prayer according to our desires—thankfully. I share this observation with Jean Ingelow: “I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered.” As Mother Teresa rightfully observed, “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.” Yes, thankfully not all of our prayers are answered in the way we want, but each prayer is an act of worship offered in faith that blesses the very heart of God.

Now there is nothing wrong in hoping for the answer to your prayer. God’s Word is clear in that our Father desires to give us those things we ask for in prayer. So don’t quit expecting your answer. But pray with this added dimension: The greatest answer to prayer is the act of prayer itself.

You see, prayer is practicing the presence of God. It is entering his very throne room in the great court of heaven. It is exercising faith in the One who rewards those who believe that he exists and diligently seek him. It is placing your needs, concerns and hopes into the hands of a loving Father who delights in your dependency and is pleased to provide for your needs according to his gracious will.

Hopefully, the answer you are expecting will be in line with his will to act. But if not, your act of prayer does far more in the unseen realm than you will ever realize this side of eternity.

So keep praying!

Prayer…
Father, I lift my prayer to you today simply as an act of worship. May I, and this prayer, please and glorify you. You know my heart, you know my needs, you know your will for my life. Fulfill your perfect plan for me—whether it comes in the form of some great and miraculous intervention, or simply through the intimacy of your silent presence.

One More Thing… “If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign of His intimacy—silence.”