Hannah's Prayer for a Child... Happy Mother's Day!

    

    Hannah prayed in her heart and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard ~ 1 Samuel 12. The Lord remembered Hannah's prayer and she conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel "saying, because I asked the Lord for him" ~ 1 Samuel 19:20.

    After Samuel was weaned, Hannah took the boy with her, young as he was;...she brought him to Eli and she said to him, as surely as you live, my lord I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So, now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord"  Samuel 24-28.

    Hannah mingled tears with her prayers; she considered the mercy of our God, who knows the troubled soul. God gives us leave, in prayer, not only to ask good things in general, but to mention that special good thing we most need and desire. She spoke softly, none could hear her. 

    Hereby she testified her belief of God's knowledge of the heart and its desires. Eli was high priest, and judge in Israel. It is not becoming of us to be rash and hasty in censures of others, and to think people guilty of bad things while the matter is doubtful and unproved. 

    Hannah did not retort the charge, and upbraid Eli with the wicked conduct of his own sons. When we are at any time unjustly censured, we have need to set a double watch before the door of our lips, that we do not return censure for censure. Hannah thought it enough to clear herself, and so must we. Eli was willing to acknowledge his mistake. Hannah went away with satisfaction of mind. 

    She had herself by prayer committed her case to God, and Eli had prayed for her. Prayer is heart's ease to a gracious soul. Prayer will smooth the countenance; it should do so. None will long remain miserable, who use aright the privilege of going to the mercy-seat of a reconciled God in Christ Jesus.

 

 

Modern Day Ruth... Who is She?

A modern-day Ruth is the same Ruth from the Book of Ruth. She is not the Deborah warrior prophetess. Ruth was and is God's humble servant. How do we know and how does that truth found in God's Word help women of God today? 

A modern-day Ruth is still a humble delicate vessel obedient unto her husband. And, that should get a look of surprise as it did then and now! But that is what God instructs women to be... we were created as Adam's helper not his keeper or fierce heroine. On the inside, we might be that but on the outside, as we see here in Ruth, we are humble servants of God's Will and His purpose for us which is to worship and glorify His Holy Name.

That's the Ruth of the Old Testament at the feet of Boaz and its the modern-day Ruth as well. The Word of God never changes. Its the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Ruth humbled herself. She was not the 'warrior' type. The warrior was Deborah and her story is for another blogpost. 

Indeed, we all need encouragement but women must know that they have more inner strength that is their greatest attribute. When they have questions about scripture, they are to seek their husband and his understanding. That's what God instructs. 

If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.~ 1 COR 14:35. Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 

1 Peter 3:7says... Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. A wife is a delicate vessel on the outside as was Ruth... though strong on the inside in her humility through trusting God.

The world has women chasing after worldly things and this is NOT God's way for women. It was not in Ruth's time and it is not today. 

Read God's Word for yourself and take nourishment from it alone. If you husband is not a godly man, use your obedience to God's Word to direct him in the path he must take which is the same obedience. 

*You should see surprise in Boaz's face; firstly because, Ruth was a Moabite woman, from Moab. So, she was not initially worshiping the same God as Boaz. He did not expect her to behave as she did which was according to his Hebrew faith, the God of Abraham. Today's world does not expect women to be humble and so it will surprise many. That's being salt and light according to God's Will / His Way.

The Manifold Wisdom of God Part II

 

Reading Ephesians 3: 1-13 ~ God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.  

In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.  This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.  Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.  

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.  In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.  I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

What is the Manifold Wisdom of God? … that Christ is Supreme

Reading from Colossians 1: 15-23 ~ Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.

So, He is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before iHm without a single fault.

YOU must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.