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| Hello Friends, I welcome you to join me on this journey as I share this time in words of praise to God, devotion to Him for His faithfulness in my life and instruction I've received through my own time with God. I welcome you to come and relax with me, have a cup of tea and enjoy this time together. Justene |
| Hi All, I would also like to welcome you to join in our journey. I hope to bring you along with pictures of the people, places and things in our life. There are so many things to say, see and do and we pray that this little spot on the computer can give you peace and pleasure in the presence of God. Blessings, Jana |
| Hi, I'm Brenda. Welcome to our place of prayer, praise and peace. As we continue to come together in fellowship we pray you will join us. Come back often to see the things God is doing in and through us. |
JourneyThruFaith.com
Hannah
by Mary Justene Martin
January 7, 2012
Then 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. She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept
bitterly. She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will
indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember
me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your
maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of
his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.” (1 Samuel 1:9-
11)
Hannah was barren. She had endured the mocking of her
rival (Elkanah's other wife) and was desperate to have a child of
her own. This was a major disappointment in her life and she
finally decided to do something about it. The point I am trying to
make is most of us have to get desperate enough to take drastic
measures before we will leave our comfort zone and do the
unthinkable. Think this was unthinkable to Hannah? Think again.
I don't know a lot about their culture, but one thing is pretty
certain, women did not go alone to the temple to bargain with
God. Some of us might pray quietly and hope for the best, but
Hannah was not satisfied. Elkanah already had children by his
other wife, and probably did not understand the scope of
Hannah's disappointment, but Hannah would not be denied until
she had tried everything she could think to do. Most women are
resigned to barrenness when they are told they cannot bear
children. There were no fertility drugs in those days and
Hannah's only recourse was to go after her miracle from God.
There are many seemingly hopeless situations in our lives
today that seem as impossible as Hannah's. You may be labeled
by society as the wrong race, or the wrong gender, or even as
unteachable. You may have had a terminal diagnosis. Some of
these circumstances could even be self imposed. Such as being
disorganized, or timid, or lazy. Whatever the seemingly
impossible thing you face, there is nothing too impossible for
God. The trouble is, we may go to church instead of going to
God. Hannah went to church, but Eli (the priest) thought she was
drunk. She was not asking Eli for help, she was crying out
violently and relentlessly to God. She was willing to make a
solemn vow to God, promising to release her child to God. Think
of the implications of giving up the thing you have waited for
your whole life.
If what we are asking for is for our own selfish pleasure, it
probably means nothing to God, but if what we want is to be
better servants, and more affective as God's children, then it
certainly will be important to God. There is no glory in dying of a
sickness. However, if we only want to be healed to continue on
in a lifestyle of rebellion to God and His purpose, don't you think
God is aware of that?
Hannah is an example of a woman in the bible who went
after what she wanted and kept on until she acquired it. Then
she followed through with her vow. Today we take the vows we
make to God lightly. Just as we enter into marriage with the idea
that it is only temporary, and that we can get out if it doesn't
“work out”. We make these promises in our desperation, but
soon forget to keep our vow.
There is no better time to start living up to the things we
know God has given us to do. If we cannot see past our own
infirmities, then we must cry out to God to change us, even
asking for a miracle if need be. God will come through for
anyone just as He came through for Hannah, when it is to
advance His purposes for His kingdom.
by Mary Justene Martin
January 7, 2012
Then 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. She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept
bitterly. She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will
indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember
me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your
maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of
his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.” (1 Samuel 1:9-
11)
Hannah was barren. She had endured the mocking of her
rival (Elkanah's other wife) and was desperate to have a child of
her own. This was a major disappointment in her life and she
finally decided to do something about it. The point I am trying to
make is most of us have to get desperate enough to take drastic
measures before we will leave our comfort zone and do the
unthinkable. Think this was unthinkable to Hannah? Think again.
I don't know a lot about their culture, but one thing is pretty
certain, women did not go alone to the temple to bargain with
God. Some of us might pray quietly and hope for the best, but
Hannah was not satisfied. Elkanah already had children by his
other wife, and probably did not understand the scope of
Hannah's disappointment, but Hannah would not be denied until
she had tried everything she could think to do. Most women are
resigned to barrenness when they are told they cannot bear
children. There were no fertility drugs in those days and
Hannah's only recourse was to go after her miracle from God.
There are many seemingly hopeless situations in our lives
today that seem as impossible as Hannah's. You may be labeled
by society as the wrong race, or the wrong gender, or even as
unteachable. You may have had a terminal diagnosis. Some of
these circumstances could even be self imposed. Such as being
disorganized, or timid, or lazy. Whatever the seemingly
impossible thing you face, there is nothing too impossible for
God. The trouble is, we may go to church instead of going to
God. Hannah went to church, but Eli (the priest) thought she was
drunk. She was not asking Eli for help, she was crying out
violently and relentlessly to God. She was willing to make a
solemn vow to God, promising to release her child to God. Think
of the implications of giving up the thing you have waited for
your whole life.
If what we are asking for is for our own selfish pleasure, it
probably means nothing to God, but if what we want is to be
better servants, and more affective as God's children, then it
certainly will be important to God. There is no glory in dying of a
sickness. However, if we only want to be healed to continue on
in a lifestyle of rebellion to God and His purpose, don't you think
God is aware of that?
Hannah is an example of a woman in the bible who went
after what she wanted and kept on until she acquired it. Then
she followed through with her vow. Today we take the vows we
make to God lightly. Just as we enter into marriage with the idea
that it is only temporary, and that we can get out if it doesn't
“work out”. We make these promises in our desperation, but
soon forget to keep our vow.
There is no better time to start living up to the things we
know God has given us to do. If we cannot see past our own
infirmities, then we must cry out to God to change us, even
asking for a miracle if need be. God will come through for
anyone just as He came through for Hannah, when it is to
advance His purposes for His kingdom.