if you're going to read this, read all the way through. If you have to, print it out. But please, don't just stop in the middle and not read the whole thing. if you're going to read any of it, read all of it.
In 1st Samuel, Hannah is greatly desiring a child. And she knows that this child will be used by GOD and that NOTHING can stop how God is going to use him. But the problem is, she's waited and waited and waited for that day of conception... but she has not been able to conceive.
She knew before Samuel was even born that he was going to be dedicated to God. She vowed to God that she would MAKE SURE that he would be His.
So we know the travailing that she went through. She fasted and prayed and travailed and went into deep sorrow.
But when her son Samuel came about... all those years of waiting... didn't even matter.
Years and years of barrenness mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING when you're staring at a child on the day it's born! (As I said in the last blog I wrote.) You will NEVER go back to that day because there you are, holding that child in your hand! It is absolutely amazing and astounding to me... that years of wilderness and barrenness and wastefulness...can disappear at the srop of a hat. God placed that desire in her because He needed a righteous servant. I picture Samuel and I picture a man of such authority... the authority to revoke and establish power from kings! SAMUEL was the REAL picture of establishing God's KINGDOM on the earth! He was obedient to the Lord He had grown up for. If Hannah had not travailed and weeped and mourned for a child without that strong desire for one, who knows what would have happened to Samuel, and eventually, to Isreal? It hurt Hannah for years that she did not have a child. But Hannah was a part of something BIGGER THAN HERSELF, WAYYY bigger than a woman just getting her promise. He planted that seed, that desire, that convenential promise in her for a child because He had to have someone so hungry for for their promise that they had no choice but to DEDICATE IT TO GOD and not man, not idols, not the earth, but to God. What grace, what thankfulness.
It was the strong desire God put in her for a child AND her barrenness that worked TOGETHER to make SAMUEL the man he was!!!!! It hurt Hannah to have that STRONG, SPIRITUAL, MOTHERLY desire and not be able to conceive- something that since birth her body had been made for, preparing for, SUPPOSED to do. But if she hadn't had that strong desire, that seed... plus the barrenness... would she have asked God to bring her a child if she already had many? Who would get credit for Samuel's birth? and therefore... who would he have been dedicated to? And who would have been the righteous judge?
We are bigger than ourselves. The reason we do things has to search throughout this generation and other generations, the nations, and come back to us as a BIG AS GOD deal....
and the whole "don't wait to do this or do that because life is short" yes that has some meaning but really, seriously... cut off the sentimentality crap and realize you're here for more than living life to the fullest and more than "i could die any day" and "i cant get tim back that i've lost." I know we aren't promised tomorrow but really, seriously... People think they're so deep saying that stuff and "I've gotta do what I can NOW or live life to the fullest because I could die any day and I can't wait for this or that to happen" but break off that spirit of the world because that is going to be a great pitfall if you buy into that... HE doesn't know what a clock is and what a calender is and what yours says and where you have to be.
His timing is everything, although time means nothing to Him.
And if you've spent time waiting on Him or even just watching Him work out opportunities that you didn't feel like you had for your school, your work, your life... that time is NOT wasted because HE was working and don't give into that lie from the world that its wasted time... Seeds have to be planted, watered...
He makes all things beautiful just in time...
Even though, you know, Jesus had probably passed by the crippled man at the gate beautiful (which translates to "RIGHT TIME GATE") --- and I love this, this is from Dutch Sheets--- that was NOT wasted time he sat out there begging as people went into the temple. Even if Jesus had passed by him. He could have healed him if He wanted to, but what Dutch says... is he thinks Jesus thought, "Im saving this for my baby church!"
and so PETER passed by and HEALED the man. All those days of sitting out there were INSIGNIFICANT at that point on, at that moment, because HE WASN'T LAME ANY MORE!!! and THAT opened an opportunity for Peter to open up his mouth and PREACH! AND THERE WAS A HARVEST! It wasn't wasted time, it wasn't that Jesus had wasted time because we could look at it is, Oh, He could have used that opportunity to heal the man and He would have had more people believe He was the Son of God. No, that was NOT a wasted opportunity or wasted time or something that He should have done because "you'll never get the time back".
SEEE how we can get caught up in that sentimentality when God is trying to desperately do something and show us something!!!!
the world longs for "deepness" and so they say something that makes sense in their own eyes, but God is calling us to HIS harvest, as harvest hands, and when they're ready, they're ready....
Yesterday Chels and I went out to eat after church... we got in the car... thought, "we should go to chinese" but then we decided not to. We then decided to go to Caffe Chocolat. But it was closed. tried 3 other places. ALL CLOSED ON SUNDAYS! So we went to chinese. So we walk in and see the Sr. Hackenbergs, and then Jeff and Mark (Swallow). We were seated in the booth right behind/infront of Jeff and Mark. So that was funny... by the time we got our 2nd plates, we came back to our table, and Mark was sitting at the booth across from ours with a woman and her teen daughter.... the daughter had some sort of mental disability, all the signs of a stroke. He looks up at us and says "I NEED YOU." and he wants to pray over her and have me and chels lay hands on her. (the mom agreed to prayer).
So we did and I tell you what. The mother's face went from sunken in to tears in her eyes and lifted. it was so awesome. We got back to the table and chelsea wept but all I could do was laugh. We didn't even want to touch our food... THAT IS WHAT ITS ABOUT. Everything else became worthless!! WORTHLESS!! I was laughing because THAT IS WHAT HE IS SEEKING AFTER! OBEDIENCE!!!!! ITS SO STINKING SIMPLE!!!
You've GOT to hear the Spirit and OBEY because its different than at school and the workplace---those people are around you long enough to kind of get a sense of who you are- even if they dont really know you- like, with me, people came up to me all the time and just wanted someone to listen!!! not always shove advice but listen! but they did always love advice--- because I had taken the time to get to the heart of the issue and listen without interjecting that I thought just because "I've heard this before.." you know? but its different than that, at school and work people might come up to you but we HAVE to start excercising the Spirit and what He is saying because WE HAVE GOT TO MAKE A MOVE and approach!!!
Even if you're afraid to, especially in Latvia because of the language barriers... but if the Holy Spirit is guiding you, the ONLY LANGUAGE you will need is THE LANGUAGE OF HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But we were there at the RIGHT TIME!!! Mark's obedience to the Spirit opened up a pathway for US to be obedient to not only the Spirit but to a true witness of Christ.
It was perfect timing...
Even though you couldn't really tangibly see something happen except for the mother, YOU KNEW. It was just so awesome.
Here we were, we thought that we were wasting time because we were SOOO hungry and time was ticking away because we had to be back for worship practice... I think i even said something like that, "this is rediculous, we've wasted so much time!" but it was PERFECT timing!! In this whole sense I'm talking about, time is NOT WASTED, it's WEIGHED!!!!!!!
Hallelujah.
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