February 21, 2013
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And she [Hannah] ... prayed to the LORD ... (I Samuel 1:10)
In my last post (see here), I wrote about how the Lord Jesus Christ Himself prayed before the Holy Spirit descended upon Him at His baptism, and about our own need to have our eyes opened to our vital need of that heavenly baptism of fire that comes from above, through the same Holy Spirit. I'm more convinced than ever of our need of prayer for Christ's Holy Spirit to descend upon us in power. How can we expect to run the race set before us to the glory of God by relying on limited, earthly supplies? If the Lord Jesus Himself was praying, ought we not to be praying likewise? If the early Church sought that baptism with the Holy Spirit, ought we not also?
I've been reading through the book of First Samuel, and recently, just after having finished with the account of David and Goliath in chapter 17, the book was opened up to me in a way it hadn't been done before...
In that forty day stand-off with Goliath, we read of the fleshly, fearful reaction of the armies of Israel. For example:
"when Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid," and "all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid" (vv. 11, 24).
Why were they dismayed and afraid? Because their eyes were squarely on Goliath and not on the LORD! They had forgotten the mighty hand and outstretched arm of the LORD which had delivered them out of Egypt and had delivered them time and time again (Samuel recounts some of that history at Saul's coronation in I Sam.12:6-11). Instead of responding to Goliath in the Spirit of faith and power (as we see David doing), they ended up cowering in distrust and weakness. How similar to the position of so many Christians today! How similar to the position of the Church at large today! How many Goliaths have risen up to taunt and mock us, and continue to bring relentless reproach upon the name of the living God and His blessed Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
And then my thoughts were brought back to the beginning of First Samuel, where, in stark contrast to the men of Israel in chapter 17, I saw Hannah shining brightly, exhibiting a godly, trusting, faithful, God-glorifying response. Hannah knew she had no other recourse but to make a bold approach to God. She sought and pleaded with the LORD of hosts at His throne of grace in her time of need (~ Heb. 4:14-16).
And then my thoughts went forward again to the times in the book when the people of God didn't seek the LORD of hosts and pour out their hearts to Him and entrust themselves to His keeping –– with their rebellious attitudes finally giving full fruition to their outright rebellion and wickedness in rejecting and forsaking the LORD Himself and demanding that Samuel to give them "a king to judge us like all the nations" (see I Samuel 8), and later their pathetic impotence displayed at Sochoh, where Goliath came forward to challenge them day after day. Of course, that pattern of behavior was nothing new then, and is nothing new today. And we always go wrong, and we cannot expect to receive the blessing and power and presence of the living God so long as we don't set our face to seeking God's face with importunity like Hannah.
Instead of our looking at the Goliaths around us,
instead of our looking at our barren wombs,
may God give His people grace to seek Him boldly and persistently as Hannah did:"And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish."
(I Samuel 1:10)
"This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek Your face."
(Psalm 24:6)LORD of hosts, help us to humble ourselves and fix our eyes upon You, so we might seek You and no other!
From whence comes our help?
Our help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
(Psalm 121:1b, 2, rephrased)O, that we might be known as the generation of those who seek You, who seek Your face!
Truly, truly, You have shown Yourself
and You have promised Yourself
to be a rewarder of those who diligently seek You,
who seek Your face,
of meek and humble souls like Hannah."And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,"
should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?
(Isaiah 8:19)* * *
* Please add your PRAYERS as God's Holy Spirit leads you. *
Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. // Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_086.png / {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}
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