We do not have a God who is far off, but a God who is
near. (Eph. 2:13)
The Lord is close to all who call on Him, to all who call on
Him in truth. (Psalm 145:118)
I taught on Hannah at Bible Study this week and found humble
awe in the example of this woman and the intimacy she shared with the Lord.
Her story is found in 1 Samuel 1 and 2.
Hannah did not have a son. Instead of complaining about what
she didn’t have, going to other means to bring it, or blaming God for
not giving her something as important as an inheritance, she instead went to
her knees to plead with her King. Her passion was so evident that Levi (the
priest) thought she was drunk, but when he spoke to her, the response was: “I
was pouring out my soul to the LORD.”
… and the Lord remembered her… and she had a son and named
him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”
Later she dedicates him back to the Lord and worships with a
beautiful song to the Lord, proclaiming “For the LORD is a God who knows.”
Oh friends, what an example and a refreshingly crisp stand
against the world’s selfishness and our own control. Our God KNOWS our neglected needs, desperate pleas, and hidden hopes.
My testimony today is similar to Hannah’s and I want to
share with you the truth of the words she has spoken as I have seen them played
out in my life.... "because I asked the Lord for him."
For years I have pleaded with God for someone to come
alongside me in this life of ministry and service. I knew deep down that I
could do nothing to bring it to myself, hurry the process, or make it happen by
some force. In my waiting I was often on my knees as Hannah, pouring out my
soul to the Lord.
I’m not going to downplay or elaborate the difficult process, but the Lord remembered me.
This Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to visit a
children’s home while traveling up north in Honduras for the break. A
missionary friend I had recently met invited my friend Katie and I to join in
the celebration with them since we would be passing by that direction on Thanksgiving. It was a
delightful time of fellowship and giving
of thanks, but the moment that stands still in time is the one where I moved to
the kitchen to cut the pies for dessert and found a man in the kitchen amidst
the chaos of many children running around and a pile of dishes… he was calmly
scrubbing away at the sink. As conversation commenced and we began to share how
we had arrived at Thanksgiving dinner that evening, the Lord opened up a
rich time of sharing and challenging one another in our lives lived for the
Lord. As many conversations of mine resemble this one, I thought very little of
it, except to give thanks to God for a fellow brother in the faith running the
race with perseverance.
However, numbers were exchanged in the process and the text
messaging initiated. In order not to give any false hope, I usually do not
respond more than a polite reverberation to such messages from Honduran men… but these
messages were so saturated with scripture and praise to God that I found
nothing wrong with responding. As the
encouragement in the Lord and challenging continued it became clear that the
Lord had some purpose for us meeting. Throughout Christmas break I shared of
the possibility of this random encounter turning into something more with many
of you and began to pray about what the Lord could have in store.
Upon returning in January to Honduras, the doors for a
relationship were promptly laid ajar and the Lord beckoned me to step forward
into this new great unknown. Only God could have spoken to my heart as clearly
and knowingly as He did.
A few weeks later my dad came to Honduras on a medical
brigade (more stories to tell from this week soon to come!) and began to drill
this eager Honduran on any and every aspect of his intentions. He passed the
test with flying colors and a blessing was extended to proceed. (This has been
the biggest and most confirmational gift I could have received in this process, such a delight!)
As I’ve been walking forward in the joy and terror of
newness alongside another life, I sense God’s hand so guiding us that peace
springs through the clouds to dissipate the dew of fear. There is no fear in
love, for perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18)
I am perfectly loved by my Elohim and I stand on El Tsuri,
listening to El Raah’s voice and calmly following El Olam each day of this
brief journey of life. It has to count for something. It must.
Now my challenge is constantly giving BACK to the Lord that
which has been entrusted to me. As Hannah returned saying, “I prayed for this
child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him. So now, I give Him to
the LORD.”
I desire my attitude to be the same… constantly giving back
because of God’s gracious and undeserved gift so that He might be most glorified in me as I am most satisfied in Him.... not His gifts. (Piper)
Please join me in praying for the Name of the Lord to be
blessed as I seek God’s will for the future in this relationship and allow God
to instruct and guide on the path of righteousness. We desire with our whole
hearts to proclaim the gospel to the world with our lives and relationship from
this day on and forever, together or apart. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.
Other prayer needs:
1.) I
am traveling with my running group to El Salvador this weekend to participate
in my first half marathon. The spirit is willing and the flesh is weak. Please
lift me up in prayer specifically on Sunday morning.
2.) The
students are seeking the Lord and learning and growing in Him constantly and
for this I rejoice, and yes we will continue to rejoice as we celebrate 50
years of God’s faithfulness to our school the following weekend. Please pray
for the Name of God to be over our school as a banner pointing to Christ for
Honduras.
3.) Discernment
as I finish my time here, running with perseverance until the end and then
seeking the Lord for the next step. I need more faith.
My challenge for you is to lay out your petitions as Hannah,
going solely to the Lord and knowing that HE REMEMBERS. He will not forget what
you lay before Him as you seek Him(Matt. 6:33). There is no one like our God
who redeems His people in such glorious ways. Pray in the Spirit and allow
intercession and obedience in prayer take you to new altitudes of faith you
can only experience through the Lord's great grace.
Below is a beautiful prayer quote from George Herbert
(1593-1633) that leaves me reeling with desire to know and communicate with my
God like this!
PRAYER the Churches banquet, Angels age, God’s breath in man returning to his birth, the soul in paraphrase, hear in pilgrimage, the Christian plummet sounding heaven and earth; engine against the Almighty, sinner’s towre, reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing-spear, the six days world transposing in an hour, a kind of tune, which all things hear and fear; softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss, exalted Manna, gladness of the best, heaven in ordinary, man well dressed, the milky way, the bird of paradise, Church bells beyond the stars heard, the souls blood, the land of spices, something understood.
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| God revealed Himself marvelously on the medical brigade! What a privilege to be a part of this servant hearted team! |
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| Stories from our visit to the Cancer center leave me in awe and wonder. |
