And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.' (Luke 2:33-35)
This is a season when we remember a teenage mother, Mary, who submitted to God's great plan for her life. Because she said "yes" to God, the greatest miracle the world has ever seen came to have breath and walked on the earth. She actually gave birth to the whole world's (and her own) salvation.
And it was all because she believed what the angel had said.
I was reading 1 Samuel yesterday morning and was reminded of another mother who believed God's word would come to pass. Go back more than a thousand years before the angel visited Mary, and you'll find Hannah, who became the mother of Samuel.
Samuel was a mover and a shaker. He was the great priest of Israel who brought righteousness back to the house of the Lord and called Saul to be king. Although the book is called "1 Samuel" (yes, he was illustrious enough to have two books named for him), I think it is, at its heart, a story about his mother and her belief in the goodness of God.
You can read chapters one and two for yourself, but I will provide a brief synopsis here. Hannah was one of Elkanah's two wives. The other wife had children, but Hannah had none. Her barrenness caused her great distress (especially because her rival wife constantly provoked her). Hannah was so depressed that she refused to eat. So, eventually, she entered the temple and cried out to God for a son, promising that, if He would give her a child, she would dedicate him to the Lord from his birth. She prayed so fervently before Him that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk and told her to go home. Her reply was basically, "Excuse me, I'm really upset, sir. Don't be trying to blame it on alcohol. I have real problems." Eli (probably taken aback) replied, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him." After that, Hannah had a son, whom she named Samuel.
I think a lot of people read this and think, "Oh, this means I should bargain with God, just like Hannah did." But I don't think that's the message of this story at all. I think this story is about intimacy with God, faith to believe that He means what He says, and initiative to go after the blessings He promises.
When Hannah came before the Lord in prayer, she didn't approach Him in pride with lofty words and hidden agendas. She did, however, approach Him with the confidence of a daughter. She knew He knew her longings already, so she let Him into her heart. The Bible says that she "was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly" (1:10), and that she "was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard" (1:13). She was completely vulnerable before the Lord. She trusted Him with her heart and poured it out before Him (Psalm 62:8).
Although Hannah was in great distress, she had not given up. She never would have approached the temple if she didn't believe God would act on her behalf. She must have truly believed the blessings in Deuteronomy, which had been given to her forefathers and which promised to make Israel prosperous in the "fruit of the womb" (Deuteronomy 28:11). She knew the God would not give her a desire for children if He weren't going to follow through on His own word.
Hannah was a woman of initiative. Faith in God's character isn't just a concept. It's an action. Hannah made a vow, and then she followed through on that vow. She returned to the temple herself, independently of her husband, and bringing sacrifices, to offer her son to the priest to be brought up as a man of God. The Lord didn't ask her to give her son to Him; she offered him willingly. She staked everything--her very heart's desire--on the promise that God is good. She acted on her faith, and the Lord saw that she meant what she said.
In giving her son to the service of the Lord, Hannah followed the way of Abraham and paved the way for Mary: she gave her most precious blessing back to God. Because of that, she was able to partake in a plan of cosmic proportions that were beyond her imagination. She perhaps believed her son would be an average priest. Instead, he turned out to be a leader who left a legacy of righteousness that lasts into our own generation.
This is a great story, and we can all nod our heads in agreement with the concept that God is good and can be trusted. But do we approach Him with the same confidence in His blessings that Hannah had?
I think all of us have looked upon the blessings of Deuteronomy 28--for prosperity, favor, victory, and abundance--in the same way adults look at a field of flowers. Sometimes we pick them, but then we scrutinize every petal and toss them aside in ingratitude, because they "don't look exactly like what we wanted." Other times, we don't even bother to pick them at all, because they are "too pretty for us" and "they must be meant for someone more special to God than me."
All of those are lies. Jesus said that we should become like little children, and that is how we inherit the kingdom of God (ie, the blessings, favor, and roles in His magnificent plan). Children don't think about why they should or shouldn't pick a flower, nor do they criticize what is in their hands. They don't assume that the beauty is not for them. They don't think twice about showing their emotions. They just go out joyfully and take what God has made just for them and express gratitude about it.
Hannah walked into the temple and asked for God's blessing. How much more do we, under the perfect priesthood of Christ, have a right to "approach the throne of grace with confidence" (Hebrews 4:16) and ask for His blessings?
Life is complicated, but our relationship with God is not. Like Hannah, we should simply trust that He cannot lie, and that, not only will He follow through on His promise, but He wants to, because He is a good and righteous Father. AND He has a plan to bless us with a destiny beyond what we can imagine.
After Samuel was born, the Lord came to Eli and said, "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever" (1 Samuel 2:35). This is a description of Samuel, but doesn't it also specifically describe the role of Jesus? (Check out Hebrews 4-8.) Hannah's son had a tremendous role to play in the appointments of the kings of Israel, who became symbols of God's authority on earth and were ancestors in the genealogy of Christ Himself. Following God's appointed purposes, Samuel helped pave the way for Jesus' birth more than 1,000 years later.
Deuteronomy 28 lists an abundance of blessings for an obedient Israel; and because Hannah believed Deuteronomy 28, all people (not just Israelites) have a chance to believe in the full obedience of Christ and thereby secure the blessings found in that book. Her life was bigger than she knew. But she did know one thing: that God was good, and that He would follow through on His promises. And she bulldozed everything that got in the way of her grabbing those promises for herself--including her own doubt.
What blessing are you believing for today? Is there a lack that is causing you distress? Is there a desire for something good that is unfulfilled in your heart? Talk to your Father about it.
During this Christmas season, we should flip back through Deuteronomy 28 and remember the blessed life God has promised us. We should read through Isaiah and remind ourselves of God's promise for a Savior, "a great joy that will be for all the people" (Luke 2:10). God sent Jesus so that you and I could know Him and live into the destiny He has designed for us. Don't count yourself out or toss your blessings aside. He has the inheritance of heaven waiting on you, if only you walk into the temple and ask.
Merry Christmas!
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