May 07, 2019
The story of Hannah and her husband Elkanah, told in 1 Samuel, Chapter 1, is gut-wrenching and real. Hannah was barren and it broke her heart. Other things complicated this, robbing her of joy.
But there is one verse that changed everything.
BE HONEST
Hannah's grief was real and palpable. God doesn't want us to "fake it," vainly acting like we're not troubled. He knows what’s going on in us. Our hurts, fears, disappointments and questions. He wants us to be honest with Him.
Hannah was hurting, but the difference-maker was that she took her hurt to the right Source.
BE PRAYING
Hannah looked up. Her response was not merely inward in grief or self-pity, or horizontal to try to look to others or figure her problem out herself. Hannah's response was vertical and her prayer brought God into the equation.
God heard her prayer (as He always does) and, in this situation, provided her with a son. And not just any son. His name became Samuel and he proved to be one of the most powerful, godly leaders in Israel's history.
Has your distress lingered and you are finding no relief? If you are in trouble, have you done the one thing that makes all the difference? Have you really, continually "prayed to the Lord?"
May 08, 2025
All of us are dramatically shaped by how we view ourselves. Some have too low a perspective; some too high. To be imbalanced here is harmful in either direction.
May 06, 2025
We spend our lives trying to gain certain things and are full of joy when we get them. Our first car, our first job, our first home. Reputation, and prestige, and influence. The list is long. But is it possible to have all those things and not have the most important thing?
April 30, 2025
And then he said with a twinkle in his eye that had seen nine decades plus, “I believe this may be the best season of my life!”
