Sunday was an exciting time for our community as we honored the ladies and mothers of the church. Prizes were given away flower’s drawing for 4 Bath and Body Prize packages were given to Shirley, Kiona, Laura and Sharon! Congrats to you all…
All ladies should get 2 things on the 2nd Sunday in May 1. Flowers and 2. Hugs both were abundant at out Ladies Day Celebration on Sunday. Also as a “scary” but fun treat several of the men made the pastries and deserts that were offered durring our coffee time. Good time were had by all. Thanks for making it such a great place to belong.
The Teaching this week was on Hannah from I Samuel
When you think of the ultimate woman do you think of June Cleaver, Shirley Partridge, Martha Stewart, Whitney Houston?
As we look at the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, we’ll see 5 Defining Traits of Ultimate Women. We see that through these 5 areas God produces Women of Faith. Brace yourself men because the principles also apply to you. The first one may surprise you. Let’s look to see if you 5 for 5 or where your at in your journey… and may you be encouraged that your in the refining process of God.
The first one’s a gimmie…
1. Women of faith exhibit real problems (1:1-8) One for one so far right? Hannah was barren, Married to a man you made the same mistake that many of us husbands make… He tried to fix the problem instead of just listen to her problem and sympathize with he. Hanna, to further complicated her life, was subjected to live along with Elkanah’s second wife Peninah (Something Elkaniah, not God, thought was a good idea) To make things worse Peninah was Fertile Myrtle… she had no problem whatsoever getting pregnant. SO if you can relate to having problem your well on you way.
2. Women of faith express vibrant prayers (1:9-18). Hannah had some problems but she didn’t shut down or lash out at those around her. She expressed her faith in prayer.
Hannah had a personal relationship with the Lord. Verse 9, “When Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh, now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.”
, Verse 10, “And she, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt…”
Now, circle that phrase, “If thou wilt.” You know what that word means in the Hebrew—those three words? God, if it’s your will.
It’s in your hands. I’ve prayed for a child year after year after. I can’t have a child, but Lord, I want to be at peace with you. I want to rejoice whether you give me a child or whether you don’t. But my life, my future, my all, is
in your hands.
What a beautiful prayer. So, she made a vow and said, “Lord, if it is your will, I would like to have a child.”
So Hannah said, “Lord, if it’s your will.” And I like what Dante said. Dante said, “In His will is our peace.”
A woman of faith exhibits real problems and expresses vibrant prayers. That leads to a third defining trait…
3. Women of faith experience God’s provision (1:19-20). Verse 19 tells us that once again they got up early the next morning and worshipped before the Lord. This was their practice, not something they did just once in awhile. Then they went back home. A short time later, Hannah conceived and give birth to a son, naming him Samuel. His name sounds like the Hebrew for “heard of God.” Every time she said his name she was reminded of his origin and destiny.
4. Women of faith excel at keeping their promises (1:21-28). After Samuel was born, Elkanah went once again to Shiloh in order to worship. Hannah decided to not go until Samuel was weaned, which would have been at around three-years-old. She dedicated herself to her child, nursing and nurturing him, knowing that when he is able to eat on his own, she “…will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.” Many people make promises to God, only to forget them once time passes. Not so with Hannah. She fully intended to keep her promise because she knew that Samuel did not really belong to her anyway.
Hannah not only dedicated herself to her child, she dedicated her child to the Lord. She then brings Samuel to the house of the Lord and says in verse 28: “So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD…” She repeated this twice as if to cement her commitment, knowing that she will never revoke it. While she gave Samuel to her Savior, she never bailed on her responsibility. Look at 2:19: “Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.”
Verse 28 ends with a glimpse into young Samuel’s heart: “And he worshiped the LORD there.” Even at three-years-old, he was able to worship. How do you think he learned how to do this? Hannah no doubt took the exhortation of Deuteronomy 6:6-7 seriously: “These I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
That’s the greatest gift we can give our children. A vital relationship with our spouse and our Children.
Are you faithful to the promise you made to love honor and cherish one another till death us do part?
The greatest gift that we can give our children, the greatest gift that we can give our children, husbands and wives, is a vital relationship. I’m talking about vital marriage relationship.
I encourage you, in marriage, husbands, wives, put on a true Christ-centered marriage and model it for your kids. I’m talking about authentic Christianity. Living it out, a right relationship.
Now, what if you’re a single parent? You say, “Well, we’ve been split up. We’ve just recently been divorced. How will that affect my children?”
Well, if you embitter, if you criticize or play your children against your ex-spouse, it’s going to be trouble. But you can take that lesson and teach it to your children. Teach them what to look for, and get them involved in church. Bring them up towards the Lord, and your children will be great men and women of God.
Now, 1 Samuel, Chapter 1, Verse 19 says this, “Then they (that’s talking about Hannah and Elkanah) arose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord.” That means they worshipped together.
You want your family to come together? You worship like Hannah and Elkanah did, together. So, she had a right relationship with her husband.
She loved God. She was right with God. Because she was right with God, she was also right with her husband. And because she was right with her husband, eventually she was right with her child, because God, in His timing, blessed Hannah with a child. In His timing. And the child was named Samuel, one of the great men of God. Verse 20, “And it came about in due time after Hannah had conceived that she gave birth to a son and she named him Samuel saying, ‘Because I’ve asked him of the Lord.’ Then the man Elkanah went up with all his household to offer the Lord the
yearly sacrifice and pay his vows, but Hannah did not go up for she said to her husband, ‘I will not go up until the child is weaned.’”
Experts tell us folks, children were weaned at about three to five years of age back then in Old Testament times, and that’s when 90% of the personality is formed. So she spent quality and quantity time with Samuel.
She says, “Then I’ll bring him that he may appear before the Lord and he may stay forever.”
Parents, another word, stop believing the lie of today that quality time is enough. In between our events, our games, our plans we’re going to this group, we’re going to that group with family or with friends, we say, “Well, son, daughter, let me have a brief amount of quality time. Let me put you in my schedule for some quality time.” You don’t just plan quality time.
Quality time comes from true periods of quantity time.
You know what Hannah was doing? Hannah was going to pray for a child.
Women of faith exhibit real problems and express vibrant prayers. They experience God’s provision and excel at keeping their promises. There’s one more defining trait…
5. Women of faith explode with praise (2:1-11). There is no element of sadness here at all. She has just dropped off Samuel at the temple and now she breaks out into praise. She was thrilled to be able to parent a prophet! Listen to verses 1-2: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”
Notice that she doesn’t brag about how handsome Samuel is, or how smart he is, or how neat it is that he can say prayers at his young age. She overlooks the gift and gives praise to the Giver. There is no one else who is holy like the Lord and no one else who will be her Rock through the storms of life.
In verse 3 she focuses on God’s wisdom and knowledge, recognizing that He’s the one who weighs the actions of men and women. We shouldn’t brag about we have or what we do, because God knows our hearts. In verse 6, she acknowledges God’s ability to bring death and to make alive. In verse 7, God is the one who sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and exalts.
Hannah is an example of a woman of faith. She endures years of silent suffering because of her barrenness and the cruel harassment at the hand of her rival, Penninah. She goes to the place of worship, knowing how painful it is. She faithfully worships, pouring out her tears and petitions. And when God answers her prayers, she not only keeps her promise, she explodes with praise.
Are you in the Process or are you stuck somwhere? Have things been lost in traslation to your own life?
When we Experience Problem - May we be people of Prayer - In Prayer may we trust God to Provide our need. That is allowing hime to be our Provision, When things go like we want them to or when they do not are wre commited to our Promises as we do all of this do we have an Attitude of Grattitude? It should all be done in a spirit of Praise.
Have a Great week and may we look at our lives with an attitude of gratitude and discover ourselves in the process!
Thursday: