Year after year she prayed the same prayer but with no results. Why was God not answering her prayer?
She sank down in deeper despair. All she wanted was to have a child. Her husbands other wife didn’t even pray and she had many children. She also taunted Hannah and ridiculed her because she was barren. Each one of the criticisms dug deep and made Hannah cry. Year after year, Hannah became so depressed about it that she couldn’t even eat. Seeing her husband’s children laughing and playing in the yard and knowing that not one of them belonged to her, became unbearable to her.
“My people perish because they lack knowledge”.
There was something that Hannah did not know about God that when she found out would change the trajectory of her story. You see, up until this point, Hannah was comparing herself to her husbands other wife. God gave her children, so surely, He will give me children also, was the way she thought about it.
However, Hannah did not realize that when you are called and chosen by God, you have to let go of the worlds standard of comparison and measure yourself by Gods standards. Gods’ standard is His word.
Yes, you look like other people. You live in this world and have a job and recreational habits like other people, but you have been set apart by God. Being set apart by God means that your whole life is governed by a different play book. As long as you live in denial of this crucial fact, life will continue to be a struggle.
So what knowledge was Hannah missing?
Psalm 33:10-11 “The Lord nullifies the plan of nations; He frustrates the plans of peoples. The plan of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.”
For years Hannah would go to the temple and tell God her plans. “Lord I want a child.” “Lord please give me a child.” But she didn’t know that God frustrates the plans of people. God is committed to seeing HIS plans come true. He is not interested in making our plans come true unless they are tied to or a part of His plans.
Hannahs plans could only bring her frustration and for years that’s exactly what she experienced. Besides being childless, she was also ridiculed, frustrated and laughed at. Will it ever change for me? Why doesn’t God answer me?
Well one day it did change for Hannah and that day was when she put Psalm 33 into action. You see it was God's plan all along to give Hannah a child. But He had specific plans for that child and needed Hannah to get on board with his plans. God wanted to give her a son, but just not any son. God wanted to birth the great prophet Samuel from her womb because He had a work for him to do. God had solidified Samuels place in history and needed Hannahs agreement with His plan so that she would not steer Samuel in another direction.
Is it possible that the answer to your prayer has not come because God is waiting for you to embrace His plans for the promise and not your own plans?
So how did Hannah put Psalm 33 in action?
This time when she went into the temple to pray and ask God for a child, she said this: And she made a vow and said, “Lord of armies, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your bondservant and remember me, and not forget Your bondservant, but will give Your bondservant a son, THEN I WILL GIVE HIM TO THE LORD ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE, and a razor shall never come on his head.”
Bingo! Hannah tapped into God’s plan and a short time later she became pregnant.
“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. “ I John5:14-15
I encourage you to make a list of all your prayer requests and examine them in the light of Gods plans. Sit before the Lord and ask Him what His plan for this area of your life is. Do a reset in your soul (mind, will, emotions) that you do not want your plans but His plans only in your life.
Doing this exercise will change your life.
