Hannah, The Mother of Samuel

Opening

What do you do when what you’re hoping to accomplish is not happening as of yet?

A. Exert more effort and exhaust yourself until you have nothing more to give

B. Forget about your plan come up with something easily doable

C. Totally abandon your hopes and simply give up

D. Let go and let God take over

BREATHE!

The month of May is Mother’s Month and I’d like us to look into some moms whose lives were recorded in the Bible

For this week let’s take a look on the life of Hannah

Text: 1 Samuel 1:1-20

Who is Hannah? 1 Samuel 1:1-20

Hannah is one of the wives of Elkanah

Elkanah is an Ephraimite from the lineage of the tribe of Levi

Zuph

Tohu

Eliab

Jeroham

Elkanah - Hannah - Penninah

Penninah had children, but Hannah had none

Year after year, Elkanah worshipped at Shiloh where Hophni and Phinehas (sons of Eli) were the priests of the Lord

Shiloh is a town where the tabernacle was set up prior to the final division of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel.

Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he will always give portion of the meat to Penninah and to her sons and daughters

But to Hannah, he always gives double portion because he loved her and she is without a child because the Lord had closed her womb

Because of this, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her

This went on and on and on for years....

Until one day while in Shiloh, Eli the priest was sitting by the door of the Lord’s house

Hannah was weeping bitterly and she made a vow

That if the Lord will let her conceive, she will give his child to the Lord for all the days of his life

Hannah was praying in her heart while Eli watches her lips

Eli thought that she was drunk, so he asked her, “how long are you going to stay drunk?”

But Hannah replied, no my lord, “I am a deeply troubled woman. I am not drinking wine or beer, I was pouring out my soul to the Lord”

She said, “do not take your servant for a wicked woman, I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief”

Hannah was not a wicked woman, but when her patience was pushed to her limits she became very angry and grieved

BREATHE!

When waiting, your patience is pushed to its limits, do you become angry? are you grieved?

If you’ve been longing for a partner/spouse and it’s been years of praying and no one is coming your way

You’ve been praying and working so hard to get that dream job of yours

Or maybe you were just like Hannah who’s been waiting to have a child for many years now

Or maybe you are waiting for that day when your spouse, your son or your daughter will change to the kind of person you are praying for him or her to become

Perhaps you are working so hard but still you have not gotten that promotion that you think you very much deserve

Or probably you are eagerly looking forward to that day of your retirement when you don’t have to worry about walking up very early and coming home very late

Or maybe you are excitedly looking forward to see those destinations in your bucket list but it’s not happening just yet

You’re driving a badly beat up car and you cannot afford to buy a new car to replace it

A. Exert more effort and exhaust yourself until you have nothing more to give

Or perhaps each time you pay your rent every month, you’re reminded of that dream house of yours

B. Forget about your plan come up with something easily doable

Disclaimer: I’d like to offer the story of our home purchase, not to brag, but purely to testify to the Lord’s faithfulness

C. Totally abandon your hopes and simply give up

When my wife, together with two of our children moved here in the states, they’ve been renting, and that was 11 years ago...

When the Lord brought me to come here for good to be reunited with family 4 years ago, we were renting a 2-bedroom apartment in Miramesa (picture and wonder in your mind how a family of 6 could fit in such a very tiny flat...

There were people sleeping all over place… hehehe

As many of you knows that our family was once broken and we are apart with great distances

But then when the Lord restored us, He put us literally closed to each other. As in super close, that while we are in this very small apartment, we became very close to each other, not just emotionally, but even physically, that sometimes it is hard for us to move around our apartment, because it was so tight...

Despite of our situation, we continued to worship, to serve and to sacrifice for the Lord

Perhaps the Lord saw our faithfulness and He wanted to prove His faithfulness to those who are faithful, and so He led us to meet Agape

This side of the church say, “God is faithful”...

And let me hear this side say, “To those who are faithful”...

When the church took me in as their servant leader, they supported us with our basic needs, and next to food and clothing, is shelter

In the law of Moses it is written…

Deuteronomy 25:4 NIV

Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.

And this was quoted by Paul a couple of times in the New Testament

First, to the church in Corinth

1 Corinthians 9:9 NIV

For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?

Second, to his spiritual son, Timothy

1 Timothy 5:18 NIV

For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”

1 Timothy 5:17–18 NIV

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”

And so with the support of the church we were able to afford to rent a bigger house then lately a 3-bedroom apartment

We were in both of them for a combined duration of about 3 years… until…

More or less 2 years ago I met Leyla, she was an uber passenger of mine and out of our short friendly conversation, I learned that she is a realtor. She showed us then some properties even though I know that we are not qualified to acquire one

A couple of years had passed by, Leyla and I were out of touch with each other

Early this year, just right after the Christmas Season… I was having a conversation with my family over at our dinner table

We were day dreaming, asking ourselves, when will the Lord give us our own home?

On that same evening, after our family dinner, I did what I would normally do, check my emails

I received an email from Leyla greeting me for the holidays… and I paused for a while and ask the Lord… and I go... Lord what is your message behind this? Is it time for us to buy a house?

After some praying and thinking, I replied to Leyla’s email and I said… “Leyla, I don’t want to waste your precious time, I am not sure if my family is qualified for a home loan at this time, but I’d be upfront and straightforward to you about our financial information, if you think that we are not qualified, don’t even waste another minute of your time, but if you think we are qualified, then let’s go for it!”… if it happens, it’s God’s will, if not, still it’s God’s will…

Because God is in control of all things...

English Standard Version Chapter 19

21  iMany are the plans in the mind of a man,

but jit is the purpose of the LORD kthat will stand.

Proverbs 19:21 ESV

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Leyla went for it, she endorsed us to Mary, a loan officer, who is, not by accident, but by divine, happens to be a sister in Christ

We met up with Mary and on that initial meeting, she even prayed over family, and 3 days later, I got an email from her saying… congratulations!

Me and my family was so excited! The process had begun and we work along with Leyla and Mary… until we hit the first bump down the road..

For some reason that only God knows, Mary overlooked my car loans… as you all know that I do uber driving on the side to make ends meet, and so I needed those vehicles not just as an added source of livelihood for my family, but also for our use in serving the church and transporting our equipment

They suggested for me and my wife to be taken out of the loan, and instead bring in our Son Aj and our daughter-in-law Eyze to be co-borrowers of our daughter Jaja

You know when you’re on the process of closing an escrow, you will be on your toes the whole time because you are always working against time

Because of the delay the home seller already wanted to cancel the deal, and it was at that point that we are compelled to change our loan officer to the one preferred by the seller, and his name is Adam… (notice the names of people God used in this process? they are biblical heheheh Mary, Adam…)

And so when Adam took over our loan application, everything went very smoothly, Aj, Eyze and Jaja got approved because they have stable and good paying jobs

Again, our emotions was way over the roof! yahooo!

Until one early morning, I was Uber driving, I got a call from Adam, and he goes… “Anthony, how come I didn’t know about Jaja’s resignation from her main job?”… I was speechless for a second, I waited until Adam’s voice returned to calmness...

And I go.. “it’s her decision Adam, she has all the right to think about her future, it’s a career decision on her part, she was offered opportunity to receive college education for free if she quits her main job and put more hours working with Starbucks… so, we cannot do anything about that but to simply respect her decision...”

Very calmly, Adam said… “ok, let me see what I can do… but don’t be very hopeful because, this is bad, really bad..” and I said, “it’s ok Adam, God is in control..”

You could imagine how our emotions was high on the roof, then suddenly, it was dropped all the way down on the floor

The next day Adam called me with a very confident voice, and he started asking me how much I make from Uber and how much does the church supports me every month?… Though that gives us just a very little hope, but our faith is unwavering

Though that gives us just a very little hope, but our faith is unwavering

Adam asked me to provide some documents to prove my income, I submitted my 1099’s, certification from our treasurer covering my housing allowance and etc...

I told Adam that we appreciate his, and his team’s effort, but I also told him that if it will not go through, it will be totally ok… because I know God answers our prayers in several ways...

God may say NO, NOT YET, or He may say YES

John 15:7 CEV

Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered.

The next day Adam called me again, this time with a very positive tone of voice, and he go… “Anthony, I think this will work, we will put you, and your wife back in the loan with your son and daughter-in-law, but you have to get rid of one of your cars, and that’s gonna be Jaja’s Corolla, because while it is true that she’s the one paying for it, it is under your name and we can’t make the numbers meet, unless you get that car out of your debts”

So I talked to Jaja, and I explained to her that if we are to proceed with our home loan, we have to trade in her car for a new one that will be completely under her name

In the twinkling of an eye, she agreed! You know why?… because after a minor accident with her Corolla few months ago, she begun praying for the Lord’s approval that she trade it in for a reliable commuter car that she can use going to and from work and school.

Isn’t that amazing?

Romans 8:28 NLT

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

So after completing a chartered trip to LA one Thursday afternoon, we went to Toyota Kearny Mesa with my wife and Jaja

As always, I was upfront and straightforward to Zach, the Sales Agent and Bill, the Sales Manager

I told them that the reason why we are trading off Jaja’s car is because we are trying to close an escrow, and I needed that car off my name

Just a couple of hours after Jaja picked her new commuter car, she got approved and happily driven home her new car

First thing the next morning, I called Adam to say that, “it’s done!”… He was very happy about it, and the following day Saturday, Adam called me and said… “Anthony! congratulations! you’re approved! We made it!”

I was driving with my wife when he called, and the only words that came out of our lips were.. “praise the good good Father”

D. Let go and let God take over

We pulled over on the side of the road, my wife and I were in tears, and we prayed together....

Isn’t that awesome?… God is super awesome! come on tell your neighbor, “God is Awesome!”

Psalm 47:2 NLT

For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.

Are you in also in God’s waiting room like Hannah? Are you also waiting for something or someone, like we were?

If you are in God’s waiting room, you are in good company

Abraham waited many years before he became father of many nations

Noah waited 120 years to finish the ark

Jesus Himself waited 33 years before He started His ministry here on earth

BREATHE!

Benefits of Waiting on God

Waiting on God will give you HEART

It Leads to Hope

Psalm 5:3 NLT

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

It Leads to Hope

Psalm 130:5 ESV

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

It Leads to Expectancy

Psalm 5:3 NLT

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

It Leads to Acts Patience

Isaiah 8:17 NIV

I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.

It Leads to Acts Patience

Romans 8:25 NIV

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

It Leads to Renewal

Isaiah 40:31 GW

Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.

It Leads to Trust

Isaiah 8:17 NIV

I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.

Closing

Going back to Hannah

After her continued worship and sacrifices to the Lord

After she made a vow and commitment to God

1 Samuel 1:17–20 NIV

17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” 18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. 19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

Challenge

Are you waiting upon the Lord?

As matter of fact, It is the Lord that is waiting for you

He is calling on you

Will you come?…