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?"
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Jealousy is always viewed in humans as a horribly destructive trait. Daniel Webster described it in his original 1828 dictionary as “the apprehension of superiority.” For instance, a person is jealous when they fear that someone has taken something that they want or may think they deserve for themselves; a position, an affection, an opportunity.
But is jealousy always wrong? Is it possible to be jealous for the right things? Is there a holy jealousy?
