Sincere Truth

I'm currently in a study of the life of David and I was touched by the Lord as to the life of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. She struggled in her circumstances and could never find peace until she placed her hearts desire in the hands of the Lord by faith.

Hannah was a God fearing women who was troubled by what she felt was a curse upon her from the Lord. The Lord made her and had a wondrous plan for her, yet she did not see her weakness as the working of the Lord, but focused on her inability to do what was the very desire of her heart. Years passed by and she wallowed in what she perceived was her failure. Month after month and year after year passed till she finally put her faith in the Lord to do what she could not...

In her world, she knew only of God, and that one day He would accomplish all that He had promised.. God has, and He has done so through His grace and truth... what He accomplished in Christ..

Peninnah was placing her sufficiency in the fruit of her womb, which in reality was not by her, but a gift of God entrusted to her. Instead of honoring God and giving thanks to Him, she used that which was given to her as a stumbling block and a rock of offense which lead her to ridiculed Hannah for the special love which Elkahan showed to her. Hannah found God's grace and truth through her weakness and implores us to boast not in what we can do, but what God had done in her and what He will do in us. Bringing light into darkness and life from that which is dead.

Hannah is like us all...

• Called to a purpose, which we are unable to fulfill...


• Striving to that purpose we seek our hope in the things of this world, yet never finding peace in it...


• Living unfulfilled lives striving to find fulfillment in that which is fading away instead of that which is eternal...


• Ridiculed by the world who in darkness cling to that which is perishing...


• When all hope in ourselves fail, we either give into darkness or fall to our knees and place our hope in God alone...


• Despising the darkness and embracing the peace which comes in the light of God's grace...


• Placing our life in His hands and seeking Him as our eternal source of life...


• Blessed by His grace and truth, he takes that which is dead and restores it to life...


• That we may live lives in accordance to His will, and rest in the One to whom our hope resides...

Life is too short to run around in circles, for Hannah simply believed God and it was counted to her as righteousness. It was not the child being born that made her believe, for before the child was yet born she walked away with the peace that comes by faith in God.

We are very curious people who dream of things eternal, yet have such finite lives here on earth. Our hearts delight with joy in the ways of the Lord, yet we constantly fail and fall short of those things which the spirit testifies to our heart and we agree as being good. Why is it that we cannot do it ourselves, yet dream of the joy of walking in His ways?

Hannah tells us that it was so that all would come to God by faith; not in what is seen, but what is unseen. For these are the very pillars which all creation has been set upon in Christ. Not placing our hopes in this creation or anything we could do, but by faith in Him to do what is right; in us and through us. God has such wondrous plans for those who would yet trust Him. Those who would not be blinded by faith in the flesh which is fading away, but in that which is yet unseen.

We long to be the men whom God has called us to be, to be the husbands and sons He has called us to be, and that we know in our hearts how we should be. Hannah was called to bear a child and it was the very desire of her heart, but apart from God who brings life from death she could not find fulfillment. Neither can we become all that God would have us to be, till we let go of our pride and lean on Him alone to transform and lead us through all the works He has prepared for us.

Paul too would echo this same application which the Spirit had later taught to him; never to boast in anything of ourselves but that in our weaknesses, that we might display in our walk all that God has done in us through Christ. May the Spirit enlighten our hearts, as to the way of the Lord...

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By Hannah's faith the Lord displayed to her how gracious and wonderful is His provision, so much so that in her barrenness He brought forth life from her dead womb. In her joy she gave thanks to the Lord and left for us a hymn of praise, imploring us not to seek our hope in that which we can do, but to trust the Lord in all things that we might too find our source of life in Him by faith in Him and the One who was to come.