The bows of the mighty are shattered,
but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry cease to hunger.
Even the barren gives birth to seven,
but she who has many children languishes.
The LORD kills and makes alive;
He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The LORD makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor;For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S,
And He set the world on them.
God is so "other" than the world, so unlike what man has designed and devised. Hannah just itemizes them for us; if you are seeking strength, fullness, fruitfulness, life, riches or honor, you will find them in the Lord and in Him only.
Hannah continues:I mean, these things are true or they are not; God is indeed The Almighty, or He is not.He keeps the feet of His godly ones,
But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
For not by might shall a man prevail.Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered;
Against them He will thunder in the heavensThe LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
And He will give strength to His king,
And will exalt the horn of His anointed.
I Samuel 2.4-10
"He keeps the feet of His godly ones"
- how comforting and encouraging is that!
"For not by might shall a man prevail"
- I get it, I agree, I have proved that myself!
"Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered"
- so I yield!
"The LORD will judge the ends of the earth"
- I really believe that!
Listen saint...
So I can keep trying it on my own until I finally let go and let God - that is the long way!
Or, I can go in the strength of the Lord, lean on him, depend on him, rely upon Him; that is the strong way...
1 comment:
I agree. In fact, I started 1Kings, and I see Solomon focusing on building God's house. I've been feeling a lot more moved to do the same. The nice thing is, it means letting the Lord build mine.
I've spent a long time striving for security in this world. I used to be scared about where money is coming from. I used to answer to a boss in a way that I should really only answer to the Lord (not that I shouldn't respect my boss, but I shouldn't look to him/her as my provision). I lived in fear. Unfortunately, fear doesn't move us toward God - it moves us toward our basic survival instincts. We start to resemble animals more than we resemble reborn children of the Most High.
But when I see God and His promises in His Word, I want to trust in Him. Who wouldn't?
Furthermore, I don't want to limit His blessings by giving Him parameters. I want Him to bless me beyond my wildest dreams, but in a way that pleases Him. I don't ever want to set limits.
One more thing: I never want my bank account to determine my actions. Crazy, right? We're supposed to be "good stewards." But I submit that actually being a good steward won't lead you to take your eyes off of God and start worrying about money. We're supposed to "give it to God."
The hard part is figuring out what it means to "give it to God." And that's where we push the faith envelope to find out the extent of God's blessing.
You see, I'm convinced that God wants us to give Him room to work in our lives. Sometimes, that means trusting Him when He tells you to give of your time when you seem to have none to give. Other times, it may mean to put yourself in a seemingly compromised financial position.
Point is, God seems to want room to work. He shows us that in Malachi, when He tells us to test Him. And all throughout the Bible He asks for our faith, especially in the Gospels. This all ties back into the words of James, when He tells us to put our works where our mouth is: You say you have faith? Don't just say it; show it.
Maybe this is why God isn't as apparent in our life situations as we'd like: because we're asking without believing. What would it be like if that changed?
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