Hannah

Everyone around the USA now day’s in our 21st century, high class, top 2% of wealthiest people in the world society, rejecting God nation, now beginning to look around the nation, at the white house, Dallas, Boston, Orlando,  murdering everywhere. Inside and outside. We are looking at big corporate bosses gaining more and more powerful and richer and poor losing everything and going into poverty. ISIS killing Christians all over the world and recruiting people online to carry out their plan on their own soil. We thought police would make it a safer place, but now cops are being killed out in the open. This world is getting crazier each day. We once where a Christian Nation, but now our president as said, “We are no longer a Christian Nation”. President Obama time in officer has laid this nation down a path so far away from God, the idea of Jesus is a joke to educated people. Our kids in public schools are being told evil is good and good is evil. Everyone is asking the same question, “What is going on in this world?” It seems like there is no more hope, death as sweep across this nation and the world.

Being that I’m a preacher, I’m going to take this nation to the bible. Try to answer the questions that are on everyone’s heart. I’m not going to talk about Jesus, Paul or even the Gospel, I’m going to talk about a Jewish woman Named Hannah.

Hannah was one of 2 wives of a Zuphite named Elkanah. Those day’s it was common for a men to have more than one wife, even though God didn’t create marriage like that. We see that happening over and over in the Old Testament. Now, Elkanah other wife was Peninnah. Hannah had no kids, no matter how much she try to have kids with her husband, but Peninnah had kids. Hannah was so sad, because of this situation she was in and she wonder day and night, why she can’t have a child of her own. Day’s pass by and weeks, months and months turn into years and she is hopeless.

Maybe what’s going around the world isn’t bothering your thinking. Maybe you going through something right now and you have tried everything possible to solve your problem and you just can’t and you are at the end of yourself. You just are hopeless and everyone around looking at you and they don’t even believe anything good will happen for you. You gave up hope, they gave up hope. Trying isn’t even an option no more. Nope you try around to stop master baiting, smoking weed, getting high, selling your body is all you know. You got so many convictions on your name that no company is going to hire you, so your force to work for the drug cartel. Doing evil is the only option you got, you blow it and there isn’t any more hope for you. You didn’t get that high school diploma, maybe you did, but your drop out of school, life is over, you on your 2nd federal charge. I know that’s little too far, but it’s so true at where this world and people are at. Let’s just be true about it.

I lost everything two years ago, and for the pass week, I’ve been sleeping outside my truck and I even wonder if I’ll make it out of this. And I got a thing on my keys that say ‘pastor’ on it. Felt like God wanted me to write about light shining at the end of every tunnel. I don’t know your situation, but that is my situation. And I’m her to tell you there is a solution. A solution that Hannah knew about over 4000 years ago. Way before Jesus even walked on the earth healing people, Hannah knew about a God who could do amazing things.

In Hebrew, which the Old Testament was written, Hannah’s name means favor or grace. Peninnah name means Pearl, Jewel or Coral. The reason that I point that out is because favor and grace are eternal, even after you die, those things aren’t taken away. You don’t loss favor and grace. It’s not physical, that it turns but it dust. But Pearls, Jewels and Corals are priceless if you have them on the earth, but at death, you don’t take that with you, those things are nothing compared to favor and grace. Which leads me to first point… If we have begun a walk with God, which we know Hannah was doing, then we are favored and God’s Grace is on us.

Before Christ enters into the picture, and this “Personally relationship with God” ideal came into play. God’s people would walk with him by following traditions and laws and doing this and that and being holy and different than the rest of the nations. One of these tradition was that 3 times a year, an Israelite male was required to appear before the Lord at the central sanctuary. One year, Elkanah and his 2 wives went to one of these festivals. In Hannah’s day, the location was at Shiloh. This was where the Tent of meeting was set up at and the Ark of the Covenant was.

The bible tells us that us that Hannah and Peninnah were making their trip, Peninnah was taunting her, most likely because she had kids and Hannah didn’t have kids. The bible calls Peninnah her rival. Imagine Hannah must wanted to die. She didn’t eat, she just cried. She was so depressed and in her season of hopelessness, her family taunts her.

Put yourselves in Hannah’s shoes, you’re a faithful wife, woman of God, all your hearts desires is to have a son or daughter. At this point you wondering if God even cares anymore and you just barren and hurt so much. Maybe that’s not your story. You have an amazing family and wonderful kids and life turn but awesome, but your struggling with this one area of your life and you been trying to overcome that area and you just can’t. You done just all you can to overcome smoking, looking at porn, doing drugs, finding a job, getting away from those types of people, but life just won’t work with you. It’s impossible and the ideal that it could happen is like in a box up stars with dust in it.

1 year, two years, now working on my 3rd year, been hoping, and searching, for a wife. My greatest desire. I done all I could. I sign up at every dating site on earth, I ask out a lot of girls, and I’m still single. My ex cheated on me and dating few other guys and then got married and my brother who does everything wrong had my mom’s first grandson. My oldest brother was the first to get married and I’m just here, walking with God. Only one walking with God, as far as I known. Family rejected Jesus as Lord.  I go to a point of just putting this idea of marriage in a box and it’s in the addict collecting dust. It’s like well, I followed God, all the days of my life, done everything right and was I the first to get married? Was I the first to have a son between my brothers? Nope, guess just throw that dream in a box and place it in the addict. I’m being truthful about this. I have no idea why God place it on my heart to write this book. I shouldn’t be writing this book, I fail at what I’m about to preach.

Which leads me to my next point, people around you, close to you are going to be prospering around you in area’s that you desire to prosper and you’re going to be made fun of by them and become rival’s against them. They are going to be like Peninnah, doing everything, saying anything they can to you, to make you feel like God doesn’t love you or got anything God for you anymore. But when you see that, rejoice, because I believe, that’s God’s sign to us that he is on the move and he is going to do something great in your life so stand firm and don’t give in or give up or throw your dreams in that box and throw the box in the addict.

The devil doesn’t want you to overcome that addiction. He is going to be like Peninnah, and tell you everything he can to get you to not believe that there is any hope for you. The devil is a deceiver and lies. He enjoys seeing people feel like trash and that God can’t help them. He is going to be the voice in the back of your head saying, “Come on, no one looking.”, “God doesn’t love you.”, “Everyone is a sinner, why would it matter of you sin one more tiny bit more, would God really care that much.”, “That’s sin isn’t that bad, you not murdering or hurting anyone.”, “Okay, you got me, but come on, one more time.” The devil is going to say anything pleasing to the ears to get you to go one more round with him. He doesn’t care about you, your life or anyone around you. You seeks only to kill, steal and destroy. Bible calls him a loin ready to eat alive anyone he can trap. He was successful already. Look back at history. He deceive Hitler in almost destroying the Jewish people from the face of the earth. The devil is a condemned and defeated being awaiting Judgement from God.

As we keep reading in 1 Samuel 1, Hannah is in Shiloh and she is hurt deeply, hopeless, depressed. She is at the end of herself, so she join a gym, no, went and pursue a lot of education, no, took that promotion, no, went into the close room with an laptop (guy), no, help it in and said she was okay, no started doing drugs to stop to pain, no. Hannah cried. She let her pain out and let it flow openly and allowed the people around her to see her pain freely. She also prayed, pouring her heart out to God. She didn’t reject God because of her situation, she didn’t stop practicing her faith, but she run to God and cried out to him.

You tried everything, you done all you could to get out of the situation you’re in today. Drugs, finical, relationship, I don’t know what your situation is, but I do know that there is a God in Heaven that you can run to with an open heart and be honest with to him about.

I’ve been praying for 2 years for a wife, for help out of this finical situation I’m in, I’m just drowning in a sea right now. I make more money now than ever, but can’t seem to control the money and how I use it. It’s crazy. I just keep praying and keep looking to God and as a walk more and more, the hole seems to get deeper and deeper and I’m honestly wondering, “Okay God, I don’t understand, I’m not going up, I’m going down, I’m homeless now.” But for some reason, I’m at peace and writing this book and I’m hopeful and excitant to see God do something amazing. I’m reminded that’s its not my timing, but its God’s timing. I was talking to a girl just yesterday, she kept talking to me and pursuing me and I’m just thinking, “Yeah, God sends a woman right when I’m homeless, what? Been praying for 2 years, now you send her.” I didn’t pursue back, but prayed that if she the one, than God’s will overcome my fear.

Therefore, beings me to my next point, Pray to God, cry out to him. Are you broken hearted? God is close to the broken hearted. Are you in the pit and need God’s hand. He specialize in restoring people. Cry out to God and pray to him and he will answer.

The story of Hannah ends, with her having a son. She conceived and gave birth to a son and his name was Samuel. In Hebrew the name Samuel means, “God has heard”. God heard Hannah’s Prayer and he will hear your prayer and answer you to the goodness of his love for you. Jesus said that if we ask, we will receive. So don’t be afraid of God, run to him. There is hope for you in the mist of suffering and trail and pain. God won’t forsake you, she loves you and has a plan and purpose for you. Samuel grow up in the house of the Lord all the days of his life and became a prophet of Israel. The reason I say that is to give you hope, that God could be waiting to use your deepest desire for himself. God isn’t looking to just give you something good, he looking to bless others around you through you. Her story ended with a Prophet coming into existences. I believe for you and for me, our story is going to end with God doing something that the next generation with be blessed by.