WEBVTT 00:00:02.250 --> 00:00:05.250 Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We 00:00:05.250 --> 00:00:07.669 want to thank you for joining us today, and we 00:00:07.669 --> 00:00:10.169 hope you find today's sermon impacting as you 00:00:10.169 --> 00:00:12.689 listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk. 00:00:12.949 --> 00:00:15.929 To find service times and watch messages online, 00:00:16.210 --> 00:00:20.109 see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now, 00:00:20.129 --> 00:00:24.890 enjoy this week's message. Well, are you guys 00:00:24.890 --> 00:00:28.949 awake? Are you awake? All right. Well, I get 00:00:28.949 --> 00:00:31.109 the honor. Most of you know who I am, but in 00:00:31.109 --> 00:00:33.729 case you don't know or online, I'm Pastor Brad's 00:00:33.729 --> 00:00:37.049 wife, Pastor Jenny. And oftentimes when he's 00:00:37.049 --> 00:00:40.490 not here, I get the honor really to step up here 00:00:40.490 --> 00:00:44.869 and bring the word. So if you came expecting 00:00:44.869 --> 00:00:47.469 to hear him, I'm sorry. I hope you won't be disappointed. 00:00:48.710 --> 00:00:51.329 He is a powerful word. I am not Pastor Brad. 00:00:51.450 --> 00:00:53.429 I don't try to be. The world only needs one. 00:00:55.340 --> 00:00:57.219 he's not here and he's not watching online, so 00:00:57.219 --> 00:01:01.840 I can say whatever I want. No, not really. Anyway, 00:01:02.020 --> 00:01:04.180 well, I'm excited for what God, you know, I'm 00:01:04.180 --> 00:01:06.239 just gonna share with you, we have a lot packed 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:08.560 into today. We're gonna receive communion together. 00:01:09.319 --> 00:01:11.260 And, you know, I just wanna encourage you, if 00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:12.920 you are here today and you don't know the Lord 00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:14.959 or you're wrestling even just with your salvation 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:18.379 or wrestling with trusting God, knowing God, 00:01:18.420 --> 00:01:20.439 feeling God loves you, or even maybe you've stepped 00:01:20.439 --> 00:01:23.579 into a place where you've, found yourself angry 00:01:23.579 --> 00:01:26.019 at God. You shouldn't be, but we have those moments. 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:28.739 I'm asking you to just open your heart this morning 00:01:28.739 --> 00:01:32.819 and listen. About two or three months ago, my 00:01:32.819 --> 00:01:36.239 husband and I were on a getaway time over the 00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:39.000 new year and the Lord stirred this message in 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:41.500 my heart. And I really believe it's a prophetic 00:01:41.500 --> 00:01:43.420 word for our church in this season that we're 00:01:43.420 --> 00:01:45.579 in. So we might get a little vulnerable today, 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:48.159 if that's all right. I have a testimony and we'll 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:51.159 see if I have the opportunity to share. But my 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:53.840 heart is just to be real and let's just be vulnerable. 00:01:54.180 --> 00:01:57.780 And sometimes, you know, we're just family. So 00:01:57.780 --> 00:01:59.140 you're in my living room and we're just gonna 00:01:59.140 --> 00:02:01.959 have a wonderful time together. So the title 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:05.280 of my message today is called The Womb Where 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:09.379 God Works Miracles. And we're gonna learn from 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:12.340 Hannah in the Bible, Hannah's hidden journey 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:16.759 of surrender, silence, and destiny. I wanna talk 00:02:16.759 --> 00:02:20.979 about how God works in the hidden places. And 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:23.199 I wanna say this, that I really believe that 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:26.900 this is where God has kept our church for a really 00:02:26.900 --> 00:02:31.599 long time and he continues to keep it. And we've 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:34.860 had pastors and leaders and even people in our 00:02:34.860 --> 00:02:38.469 life that, have mentored us and now actually 00:02:38.469 --> 00:02:40.629 have gone on to be with the Lord, but they would 00:02:40.629 --> 00:02:42.129 come out here and they would be like, where's 00:02:42.129 --> 00:02:45.969 all the people? Like, we see a bunch of sheep 00:02:45.969 --> 00:02:48.129 everywhere, but how do you get people? You know, 00:02:48.150 --> 00:02:49.909 if your church was in a big city, it would be 00:02:49.909 --> 00:02:51.889 like triple the amount of people and they're 00:02:51.889 --> 00:02:53.610 saying all these things. And we're just like, 00:02:53.729 --> 00:02:58.629 yes, but God put us here in a little town next 00:02:58.629 --> 00:03:03.550 to a river bank that he knew in 25 years, we 00:03:03.550 --> 00:03:07.590 would be stepping into a new promised land of 00:03:07.590 --> 00:03:11.650 faith. Okay, what's happening out there is not 00:03:11.650 --> 00:03:15.990 a negative thing. Amen? We have to shift our 00:03:15.990 --> 00:03:19.270 thinking. We have to think heaven down. We have 00:03:19.270 --> 00:03:21.969 to think kingdom. We have to realize that when 00:03:21.969 --> 00:03:25.050 God brings situations or things happen in our 00:03:25.050 --> 00:03:28.550 life that are out of our control, that are man 00:03:28.550 --> 00:03:34.240 -made problems, God gets excited. We should not 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:36.219 be discouraged. We should not be depressed. We 00:03:36.219 --> 00:03:39.060 should not lose our faith. We should be excited 00:03:39.060 --> 00:03:42.259 for the battle and the victory. You know, without 00:03:42.259 --> 00:03:45.460 a battle, we never have a victory. And I will 00:03:45.460 --> 00:03:47.520 say this. My husband got really vulnerable with 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:50.120 the church a few months ago. When we were first 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:54.120 told about the river bank, they gave us a number 00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:58.560 that was absolutely beyond comprehension. I think 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:02.310 pastor may have shared over $10 million. The 00:04:02.310 --> 00:04:06.310 chance of that project even happening was almost 00:04:06.310 --> 00:04:09.669 impossible. But I will tell you this. When the 00:04:09.669 --> 00:04:14.909 Lord provided someone in our body to say we can 00:04:14.909 --> 00:04:20.389 do it for 2 .5 or 2 .2 or maybe 2 .5, we were 00:04:20.389 --> 00:04:22.449 excited. Now, if we had been told it's gonna 00:04:22.449 --> 00:04:25.709 be 2 .5, we probably would have been upset. But 00:04:25.709 --> 00:04:28.209 you see what happens how God is? He's like, it's 00:04:28.209 --> 00:04:31.230 gonna be 10 million. No, it's gonna be 2 .5. 00:04:31.230 --> 00:04:35.750 Thank you. So we're thanking the Lord in the 00:04:35.750 --> 00:04:38.430 midst of it all, right? I tell my husband that, 00:04:38.470 --> 00:04:40.470 come on, it's 2 .5, it's not 10, it's not 10. 00:04:40.790 --> 00:04:44.350 God can do it. But we need everybody to come 00:04:44.350 --> 00:04:45.829 together. All right, I need to get to my notes. 00:04:45.889 --> 00:04:49.069 We have a message today. So I wanna just read 00:04:49.069 --> 00:04:52.250 this scripture, Deuteronomy 29, 29. The secret 00:04:52.250 --> 00:04:55.709 things belong to the Lord. When God keeps us 00:04:55.709 --> 00:04:59.189 hidden, when God keeps things in that place of 00:04:59.189 --> 00:05:02.699 a secret, he's working. And those are special 00:05:02.699 --> 00:05:05.680 things. In fact, we should understand that before 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:09.339 God unveils his greatest works, he often chooses 00:05:09.339 --> 00:05:13.779 to conceal them. Amen. How many of you today 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:15.839 feel like there's things in your life that you've 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:18.480 been asking God to do a breakthrough, but they're 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:21.060 concealed and nobody's seeing it. Nobody's recognizing 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:23.639 it. The GoFundMe, you know, there's things that 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:28.180 feel concealed. There's always a season of hiddenness 00:05:28.180 --> 00:05:31.680 that comes before deliverance, a time of obscurity 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:35.019 that precedes advancement and a period of secrecy 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:39.540 before revelation. Come on, revelation, advancement, 00:05:39.939 --> 00:05:44.839 deliverance. That's our promise. So in God's 00:05:44.839 --> 00:05:47.819 design, what is hidden, hear me, is not forgotten. 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:52.730 If you're in a season of feeling hidden, Or prayers 00:05:52.730 --> 00:05:55.350 that you've been contending for. Why don't we 00:05:55.350 --> 00:05:58.129 recognize that it's not that God isn't listening. 00:05:58.649 --> 00:06:03.449 He's hiding things. He's hiding you. It is being 00:06:03.449 --> 00:06:06.790 carefully prepared for its appointed time. God 00:06:06.790 --> 00:06:11.970 is all about appointed time. All about appointed 00:06:11.970 --> 00:06:15.670 time. And what happens is he knows that we will 00:06:15.670 --> 00:06:19.810 ruin it. Because we will run ahead. We will take 00:06:19.810 --> 00:06:22.649 it out of timing. And everything that he has 00:06:22.649 --> 00:06:25.670 planned, he can't do because we messed it up. 00:06:26.709 --> 00:06:29.759 Because we get excited about the word. Come on, 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:31.240 there's lots of great words that have come in 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:33.560 your life, that have come over the church, and 00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:35.420 we're like, come on, God, and we're all excited 00:06:35.420 --> 00:06:38.139 in the moment of the word, and then we just immediately 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:39.899 think, well, let's go help God out, and let's 00:06:39.899 --> 00:06:41.740 start moving things along, and we get rid of 00:06:41.740 --> 00:06:43.459 this, and we change this, and we quit a job, 00:06:43.500 --> 00:06:45.120 and we move to another state, and all these things 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:47.040 happen because we're trying to help God out, 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:49.160 because God's given a word, and God's like, wait 00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:55.339 a minute. That is not how it works. When God 00:06:55.339 --> 00:06:59.800 gave Noah the word to build the ark, The world 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:06.040 had never seen rain. There was a long time of 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:11.079 waiting for Noah. But praise God for the victory. 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:16.500 Moses was hidden before he led. Joseph was hidden 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:19.800 before he ruled. David was hidden before he reigned. 00:07:19.860 --> 00:07:22.120 Esther was hidden before she was crowned. And 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:26.040 Jesus was hidden for 30 years before the cross. 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:30.939 Every life begins hidden in a womb. Ecclesiastes 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:33.560 3 .1 says, for everything there is a season. 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:38.579 Concealment is protection, preparation, not punishment. 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:42.740 When the Lord gave me this message, we were in 00:07:42.740 --> 00:07:45.899 this place of really crying out to God, Lord, 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:48.819 what's happening? And I kept hearing the Lord 00:07:48.819 --> 00:07:52.620 say, stop seeing it as a tomb. Stop seeing it 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:56.310 as something of a loss. It's a womb. It's a womb. 00:07:56.550 --> 00:08:00.209 You're in my womb. And so there's seasons of 00:08:00.209 --> 00:08:03.730 that where God is carrying us in his womb. And 00:08:03.730 --> 00:08:06.550 it's a time of quietness. What if you're in the 00:08:06.550 --> 00:08:09.009 Lord's womb? And what if the womb of the Lord 00:08:09.009 --> 00:08:11.290 is in you? And there's things God is doing in 00:08:11.290 --> 00:08:13.930 your womb that he's asking you to pray through, 00:08:14.009 --> 00:08:19.180 not necessarily activate, but pray through. So 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:21.920 God's hidden work through suffering. I can't 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:23.540 preach a message without talking a little bit 00:08:23.540 --> 00:08:30.060 about suffering. Sorry. When it hurts, come on, 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:34.220 say amen. Everybody's been hurt. God still is 00:08:34.220 --> 00:08:38.019 working behind the scenes. I want to continue 00:08:38.019 --> 00:08:41.480 to change the way we think about the sufferings 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:44.139 and the pain and the struggles that we go through. 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:45.899 Because when you look through the scriptures, 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:49.889 you will... you will identify better with the 00:08:49.889 --> 00:08:53.070 men and women of God. Sometimes we close the 00:08:53.070 --> 00:08:55.529 Bible. We're like, I don't wanna read that. I 00:08:55.529 --> 00:08:57.769 don't wanna know that story. It's different for 00:08:57.769 --> 00:08:59.789 me. We live in the 20th century and all of that. 00:08:59.830 --> 00:09:01.970 No, it's the same. God is the same yesterday, 00:09:02.070 --> 00:09:05.309 today, and forever. Similar to hidden places, 00:09:05.450 --> 00:09:11.070 God works through suffering. Come on, amen. Suffering 00:09:11.070 --> 00:09:14.789 is not a sign of divine absence. It's often in 00:09:14.789 --> 00:09:18.309 the hidden place where God is preparing resurrection 00:09:18.309 --> 00:09:21.529 life. Now, you can't have resurrection life if 00:09:21.529 --> 00:09:24.409 there's not death first, if there's not a season 00:09:24.409 --> 00:09:28.649 of a womb. You can't have a seed. The Bible says, 00:09:28.710 --> 00:09:32.210 unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it 00:09:32.210 --> 00:09:33.950 cannot bear fruit. Well, how does that work? 00:09:33.990 --> 00:09:37.730 That does not make sense. Well, get your mind 00:09:37.730 --> 00:09:41.769 on the Word of God and stop thinking like a human. 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:47.460 We are not of this world. And every answer to 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:52.980 every situation, to every problem, to every conflict 00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:55.340 that you go through, through every question of 00:09:55.340 --> 00:09:57.299 what God has planned for you is found in his 00:09:57.299 --> 00:10:00.200 word when we shift our thinking to think kingdom 00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:05.399 and not just thinking human and selfish. I'm 00:10:05.399 --> 00:10:09.639 selfish. I'm sure none of you are, but I am. 00:10:10.679 --> 00:10:14.509 I'm very selfish. And I'd like to think I'm not. 00:10:14.649 --> 00:10:17.610 But when things happen in my life, the first 00:10:17.610 --> 00:10:20.649 thing the Lord says to me, why do you think this 00:10:20.649 --> 00:10:24.049 is going on? Well, they and he and da -da -da 00:10:24.049 --> 00:10:28.049 -da -da -da -da. And the Lord's like, hmm, you're 00:10:28.049 --> 00:10:32.669 selfish. And that's it. It's like, what? Yeah. 00:10:33.429 --> 00:10:37.429 All right. Psalms 139 .15. I love this. David 00:10:37.429 --> 00:10:40.110 describes, my frame was not hidden from you when 00:10:40.110 --> 00:10:43.360 I was made in this secret place. when I was woven 00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:46.899 together in the depths of the earth, God made 00:10:46.899 --> 00:10:51.879 us in the hidden place. He's doing his greatest 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:56.320 creating in the hidden place. Now, we don't go 00:10:56.320 --> 00:11:00.559 back into the womb of our moms, but I don't want 00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:05.840 this creating to stop. I want God to keep weaving 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:09.159 things. I want God to keep creating things. I 00:11:09.159 --> 00:11:13.129 want God to keep developing me. Amen. We're not 00:11:13.129 --> 00:11:16.110 fully developed yet. We may be, you know, just 00:11:16.110 --> 00:11:19.230 as a baby is growing and you watch a baby grow 00:11:19.230 --> 00:11:21.990 all the way up into adulthood. The same thing 00:11:21.990 --> 00:11:25.070 needs to happen with our spirit man. Don't stay 00:11:25.070 --> 00:11:28.909 a baby. Let the Lord keep developing you and 00:11:28.909 --> 00:11:30.809 weaving you. And he's going to do it the same 00:11:30.809 --> 00:11:34.139 way he did it in the secret place. And in his 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:37.860 time, he brings it out. If you want to jump on 00:11:37.860 --> 00:11:40.139 the stage and say, I'm ready, and here I am, 00:11:40.179 --> 00:11:42.059 and look at world, I'm coming, and all of that, 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:50.620 well, then you're on your own. Amen? So don't 00:11:50.620 --> 00:11:54.500 rush the stage, right? God often disguises wombs 00:11:54.500 --> 00:11:57.539 as tombs. What appears closed, barren, painful, 00:11:57.639 --> 00:12:01.389 or final, is not necessarily a place of death. 00:12:01.529 --> 00:12:06.649 It's a place of gestation. Jesus himself framed 00:12:06.649 --> 00:12:09.690 this for us in John 16, 21. When a woman is in 00:12:09.690 --> 00:12:14.570 labor, she has sorrow. But when the child is 00:12:14.570 --> 00:12:16.850 born, she no longer remembers the anguish for 00:12:16.850 --> 00:12:19.590 the joy of that human being has been born into 00:12:19.590 --> 00:12:24.549 the world. You know, I heard a pastor say, as 00:12:24.549 --> 00:12:28.220 the child doesn't experience any pain of its 00:12:28.220 --> 00:12:31.080 birth. I mean, it might when it's going through 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:33.259 the birth canal a little bit. Who is the one 00:12:33.259 --> 00:12:38.480 going through the pain? The mom. Who is the one 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:42.419 experiencing the labor? Come on, God experienced 00:12:42.419 --> 00:12:47.919 labor for us. He went through pain for you. He 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:51.519 wrestled. He struggled. Blood, sweat, and tears. 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:55.460 He went to the cross. He labored for our salvation. 00:12:55.679 --> 00:13:00.440 He labored for our faith. You did not labor. 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:06.740 You were born. And because of that, we still 00:13:06.740 --> 00:13:13.019 question his love for us. We question if we can 00:13:13.019 --> 00:13:16.450 trust him when he asks us to do things. We don't 00:13:16.450 --> 00:13:19.750 want to do. Go where we don't want to go. Stay 00:13:19.750 --> 00:13:23.909 when we don't want to stay. He labored for you. 00:13:25.230 --> 00:13:29.870 He will not forsake you. You're his most precious 00:13:29.870 --> 00:13:34.450 possession. We are. So that's my introduction. 00:13:34.710 --> 00:13:40.750 Let's get to the message. I want to talk about 00:13:40.750 --> 00:13:45.779 Hannah. And in her life, we see. hidden suffering 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:48.740 turned transformation. She embodies the truth 00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:53.200 of this example. Let's look at 1 Samuel, and 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:55.460 we're going to read some words that are a little 00:13:55.460 --> 00:13:57.600 bit difficult to pronounce, so have grace with 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:00.360 me. We're going to dive a little bit into the 00:14:00.360 --> 00:14:03.600 Old Testament. So it says in 1 Samuel chapter 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:06.220 one, verse one through three, there was a certain 00:14:06.220 --> 00:14:09.440 man of Ramatham Zophim of the hill country of 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:12.659 Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah, the son of Jehoram, 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:17.259 son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuth and Ephrathites. 00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:20.100 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:22.919 the name of the other, Paniah. And Paniah had 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:26.309 children, but Hannah had no children. The man 00:14:26.309 --> 00:14:29.250 used to go up year by year from the city to worship 00:14:29.250 --> 00:14:31.549 and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, 00:14:31.570 --> 00:14:34.129 where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, 00:14:34.230 --> 00:14:37.529 were priests of the Lord. We learn as we explore 00:14:37.529 --> 00:14:40.269 Hannah's life that she's one of many barren women 00:14:40.269 --> 00:14:42.529 in the Bible. We know of Rebecca. We know of 00:14:42.529 --> 00:14:45.690 Elizabeth. We know of Sarah, whose wombs that 00:14:45.690 --> 00:14:49.789 God opened at crucial moments in redemptive history 00:14:49.789 --> 00:14:54.139 to bring forth strategic children. With God, 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:58.500 everything has purpose. He just, again, he doesn't 00:14:58.500 --> 00:15:01.279 always reveal it to us and he doesn't have to. 00:15:03.779 --> 00:15:07.679 I can relate to this, but I will share that later. 00:15:08.850 --> 00:15:10.850 Let's look at the prophetic language. Why do 00:15:10.850 --> 00:15:13.950 we say these names and why are these names listed? 00:15:14.190 --> 00:15:16.190 Can't we just say, well, there was Hannah who 00:15:16.190 --> 00:15:18.610 was married to Elkanah and she couldn't have 00:15:18.610 --> 00:15:21.009 children. But why is the Bible specific? Well, 00:15:21.009 --> 00:15:23.850 in scripture, nothing is incidental. Names, places, 00:15:24.110 --> 00:15:26.509 bloodlines all hold a significant weight in their 00:15:26.509 --> 00:15:29.129 meetings. And this is important that we understand 00:15:29.129 --> 00:15:32.070 because before Hannah prayed and Samuel was ever 00:15:32.070 --> 00:15:35.789 born to lead Israel's revival, names were already 00:15:35.789 --> 00:15:38.830 carrying the prophetic significance leading up 00:15:38.830 --> 00:15:43.809 to his birth. And so we have to look at his forefathers 00:15:43.809 --> 00:15:47.330 and his great -grandfather and the land in which 00:15:47.330 --> 00:15:50.590 he was born into to understand the power of why 00:15:50.590 --> 00:15:52.889 Samuel's birth was so important, why there was 00:15:52.889 --> 00:15:54.870 a waiting season, why there was a barren season. 00:15:55.769 --> 00:15:58.529 So the story opens in Rematham Zophim, which 00:15:58.529 --> 00:16:02.750 means double heights of the watchman. Hannah 00:16:02.750 --> 00:16:05.450 lived in the hill country of Ephraim, which means 00:16:05.450 --> 00:16:08.070 fruitfulness, actually double fruitfulness. Here 00:16:08.070 --> 00:16:10.889 we've got the anointing of the watchman. We've 00:16:10.889 --> 00:16:13.590 got fruitfulness, and yet there's a barrenness 00:16:13.590 --> 00:16:18.529 in her womb. And they worship at Shiloh, the 00:16:18.529 --> 00:16:21.909 place of rest. What's wrong with this picture? 00:16:22.990 --> 00:16:26.190 The land seemed to speak volumes even before 00:16:26.190 --> 00:16:29.909 her womb opened, and it foretold a bountiful 00:16:29.909 --> 00:16:33.610 harvest. This is the thing. When we are in those 00:16:33.610 --> 00:16:37.649 womb seasons, what is the Lord speaking around 00:16:37.649 --> 00:16:41.889 us, or are we so consumed with what we don't 00:16:41.889 --> 00:16:48.470 have and what I want? Elkanah, Samuel's father, 00:16:48.710 --> 00:16:54.120 means God possesses. or God is in charge. I told 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:55.940 my daughter as I was sharing my message with 00:16:55.940 --> 00:16:58.019 her, I was preaching to my 14 -year -old because 00:16:58.019 --> 00:16:59.940 I figured if she can get it and understand it, 00:16:59.980 --> 00:17:03.399 then everybody will be okay. So she helps guide 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:05.700 me along and tells me what things she doesn't 00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:07.759 understand and all that. It's great. She's awesome. 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:12.099 Thank you, Jessie. But I was explaining to her 00:17:12.099 --> 00:17:14.119 that names had a significance. Not like today, 00:17:14.180 --> 00:17:16.220 we name a child because we like a name, right? 00:17:16.829 --> 00:17:18.349 You know, we do look at the meeting. We wanna 00:17:18.349 --> 00:17:20.450 make sure the meeting aligns, but we often, but 00:17:20.450 --> 00:17:22.710 back in the Bible days, instead of maybe saying 00:17:22.710 --> 00:17:25.109 Elkanah, it was every time his name was said, 00:17:25.190 --> 00:17:28.190 everybody knew God is in charge. God is in charge. 00:17:28.329 --> 00:17:30.990 Hello, God is in charge. Hello, God possesses. 00:17:31.029 --> 00:17:34.049 So the name was imparting. The name was declaring. 00:17:34.430 --> 00:17:38.230 The name was bringing that activation of the 00:17:38.230 --> 00:17:40.730 faith that was wrapped around his name. Then 00:17:40.730 --> 00:17:43.329 his grandfather, Jehoah, means womb compassion, 00:17:43.589 --> 00:17:47.289 means he incredibly cares about our wombs. So 00:17:47.289 --> 00:17:49.609 here, even as you're seeing Hannah's prayers, 00:17:49.710 --> 00:17:53.269 we'll walk through it. And her season that she's 00:17:53.269 --> 00:17:57.210 remembering, okay, God is in charge and the grandfather, 00:17:57.470 --> 00:18:00.890 he cares about this womb. So he's not gonna forsake 00:18:00.890 --> 00:18:03.890 me. Do you understand what God is doing here? 00:18:04.529 --> 00:18:07.609 And then the great grandfather, Elihu, he is 00:18:07.609 --> 00:18:11.230 my God. So here we have three generations of 00:18:11.230 --> 00:18:16.170 names setting it up for this prophet to be born 00:18:16.170 --> 00:18:20.410 that would change the trajectory. of the nation 00:18:20.410 --> 00:18:26.049 of Israel and for us today. Hannah means grace. 00:18:26.170 --> 00:18:31.509 He is so kind. So even in her name, it kept aligning 00:18:31.509 --> 00:18:36.230 her. He is kind. He gives grace. He is kind. 00:18:36.809 --> 00:18:39.170 Mercy, grace, fruitfulness, and covenant are 00:18:39.170 --> 00:18:41.730 already at work, quietly orchestrating events. 00:18:42.509 --> 00:18:45.349 even before Samuel's birth. I wanna quickly highlight 00:18:45.349 --> 00:18:48.910 the background. When Samuel was born, Israel's 00:18:48.910 --> 00:18:50.950 spiritual condition at Samuel's birth marked 00:18:50.950 --> 00:18:54.410 the end of the judge's era. So you read through 00:18:54.410 --> 00:18:56.190 the Bible and you read the judges and then you 00:18:56.190 --> 00:18:58.650 get to first and second Samuel. They had been 00:18:58.650 --> 00:19:01.029 without a king. The people acted according to 00:19:01.029 --> 00:19:04.309 their will. Sounds like maybe a little bit of 00:19:04.309 --> 00:19:07.930 what's going on around here. The book of Judges 00:19:07.930 --> 00:19:10.390 describes the cycle of sin, oppression, cries 00:19:10.390 --> 00:19:13.349 for deliverance, temporary peace, relapse into 00:19:13.349 --> 00:19:18.589 sin, but by Samuel's birth, the nation was exhausted. 00:19:20.230 --> 00:19:23.250 This period was characterized by moral fragmentation, 00:19:23.609 --> 00:19:26.349 weak tribal unity, corrupt priesthood, and the 00:19:26.349 --> 00:19:30.210 absence of consistent prophetic leadership. Despite 00:19:30.210 --> 00:19:33.210 being covenantally chosen, Israel was practically 00:19:33.210 --> 00:19:37.480 compromised. Everyone was doing what was right 00:19:37.480 --> 00:19:43.599 in their own eyes. God have mercy. Because that 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:47.920 is what we are living in today. And God is raising 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:52.779 a Samuel generation. It's time that we all step 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:56.680 into and be prophetically activated, not by our 00:19:56.680 --> 00:20:00.599 soul, but by the spirit of God who is realigning 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:03.539 his kingdom and his church for the purpose of 00:20:03.539 --> 00:20:06.869 God today. Eli, the high priest, when Samuel 00:20:06.869 --> 00:20:09.069 was born had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, and 00:20:09.069 --> 00:20:11.569 they were worthless men who disobeyed God. So 00:20:11.569 --> 00:20:14.809 now we've got corruption. We've got sin. We've 00:20:14.809 --> 00:20:19.250 got all kinds of junk going on inside the house 00:20:19.250 --> 00:20:21.750 of the Lord. They stole from sacrifices, committed 00:20:21.750 --> 00:20:24.250 immorality at the tabernacle. They despised God's 00:20:24.250 --> 00:20:26.869 offerings and worshiped at the tabernacle. The 00:20:26.869 --> 00:20:29.470 worship at the tabernacle of Shiloh was polluted. 00:20:29.470 --> 00:20:35.480 This was what Samuel was born into. However, 00:20:35.480 --> 00:20:40.140 it sets the stage for God's hidden work. God 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:42.680 often raises his most chosen servants during 00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:47.440 the darkest of times. The darker the dark, the 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:49.880 lighter and the brighter the lamp. So let's look 00:20:49.880 --> 00:20:52.759 at Hannah's life and her journey. You guys doing 00:20:52.759 --> 00:20:56.619 okay? Awesome. Three keys. We're gonna look at 00:20:56.619 --> 00:20:58.380 three keys. I have a few points for you. We're 00:20:58.380 --> 00:21:01.299 gonna start here. Three keys from Hannah's testimony. 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:07.200 Number one. Hannah's pain. A tomb that was actually 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:12.680 a womb. He is the God who conceals. 1 Samuel 00:21:12.680 --> 00:21:15.799 1, 6 -8. And her rival used to provoke her grievously 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:18.380 to irritate her. Anybody have a few of those 00:21:18.380 --> 00:21:22.920 in your life? Because the Lord had closed her 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:27.460 womb. So it went on year by year. As often as 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:29.240 she went up to the house of the Lord, she used 00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:31.019 to provoke her. I thought this very interesting. 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:37.759 The provoking obviously was the other wife, but 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:42.759 the provoking was in the house of the Lord. The 00:21:42.759 --> 00:21:47.019 irritation, the reminding of her of what she 00:21:47.019 --> 00:21:49.420 didn't have and constantly telling her, well, 00:21:49.420 --> 00:21:50.819 you must have done something wrong. You must 00:21:50.819 --> 00:21:53.019 have sinned. God must not care about you, obviously. 00:21:53.140 --> 00:21:57.099 Because to not have children in those days was 00:21:57.099 --> 00:22:01.480 considered almost a curse. And in some ways it 00:22:01.480 --> 00:22:06.579 was. Therefore, Hannah wept and would not eat. 00:22:06.660 --> 00:22:08.380 And Elkanah, her husband said to her, Hannah, 00:22:08.500 --> 00:22:11.599 why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And 00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:13.839 why is your heart so sad? Am I not more to you 00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:18.359 than 10 sons? Verses nine through 10 and 13. 00:22:18.460 --> 00:22:20.440 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:22.819 arose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the 00:22:22.819 --> 00:22:25.160 seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:28.380 Lord. She was deeply distressed and wept bitterly. 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:33.140 Hannah was speaking in her heart. But only her 00:22:33.140 --> 00:22:35.099 lips were moving and her voice was not heard. 00:22:35.900 --> 00:22:38.920 Therefore, Eli thought her to be a drunken woman. 00:22:40.220 --> 00:22:42.980 How many times do you feel like your prayers 00:22:42.980 --> 00:22:45.579 are not heard and that you're being misunderstood? 00:22:48.380 --> 00:22:52.779 That all you can do really is pray on the inside 00:22:52.779 --> 00:22:55.819 and there's things that you know, God, I know 00:22:55.819 --> 00:22:57.700 how I'm supposed to pray. I know what I'm supposed 00:22:57.700 --> 00:23:02.160 to declare, but you're in that season. or in 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:05.000 that place where your voice is not heard and 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.599 you're misunderstood. From all appearances, Hannah's 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:10.460 circumstances seemed hopeless. Her womb was closed. 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:13.720 Her rival thrived. The priest misunderstood her. 00:23:13.819 --> 00:23:15.740 And although her husband cared for her deeply, 00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:20.240 he could not ease her suffering. Let me explain 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:24.200 this to you. Don't go to people. Don't even go 00:23:24.200 --> 00:23:28.220 to your spouse. You go to the Lord and you understand 00:23:28.220 --> 00:23:31.789 and you ask him what's happening. Not why are 00:23:31.789 --> 00:23:34.390 you doing this to me, Lord? Or why God? It's 00:23:34.390 --> 00:23:37.509 Lord, what are you doing in me? And you find 00:23:37.509 --> 00:23:40.849 your place. You take that suffering to him and 00:23:40.849 --> 00:23:45.430 you keep taking it year after year after year. 00:23:45.609 --> 00:23:47.990 They went up every year. She kept taking it before 00:23:47.990 --> 00:23:49.569 the Lord, taking it before the Lord. There may 00:23:49.569 --> 00:23:51.549 be misunderstanding. There may be people that 00:23:51.549 --> 00:23:54.109 will write things on social media about you. 00:23:57.039 --> 00:23:59.319 Some of us are afraid to share the GoFundMe because 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:01.859 we're not sure what's gonna come up on our Facebook 00:24:01.859 --> 00:24:04.640 page. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have said that. 00:24:06.740 --> 00:24:13.920 It's okay, it's okay. God has us and there's 00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:18.059 a blessing in it and there's a favor in it. We 00:24:18.059 --> 00:24:21.000 have to get with the Lord and take our suffering 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:24.380 to him. It says here in verse five that the Lord 00:24:24.380 --> 00:24:27.670 actually had closed her womb. Those are the answers 00:24:27.670 --> 00:24:29.349 we need to get from the Lord. Lord, what are 00:24:29.349 --> 00:24:31.210 you doing? If this is what you're doing, then 00:24:31.210 --> 00:24:34.150 I need to partner with that. So this was a critical 00:24:34.150 --> 00:24:36.730 moment when God allows something to close. He 00:24:36.730 --> 00:24:40.349 is not always removing life. He may be concealing 00:24:40.349 --> 00:24:44.509 it until the time he knows best. We went through 00:24:44.509 --> 00:24:47.349 a season personally where my womb in the natural 00:24:47.349 --> 00:24:51.410 was closed for 12 years. The doctors couldn't 00:24:51.410 --> 00:24:53.650 understand. There was nothing that we could do. 00:24:53.710 --> 00:24:57.460 There's nothing that changed. But for 12 years, 00:24:57.559 --> 00:25:03.940 we could not have children. And I remember watching 00:25:03.940 --> 00:25:07.619 and walking through friends and people in the 00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:09.900 body and all the prophetic words and everybody 00:25:09.900 --> 00:25:11.960 praying over us. God's going to open your womb. 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:13.279 God's going to open your womb. We even had someone 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:17.079 prophesy twins. No, thank you. I mean, there's 00:25:17.079 --> 00:25:19.859 a grace on those of you that have twins. But, 00:25:19.859 --> 00:25:22.480 you know, I was like... It got to the point after 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:25.140 10 years, I finally surrendered and I said, Lord, 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:29.799 I release this to you. And two years later, the 00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:31.859 miracle happened. And I remember crumpling to 00:25:31.859 --> 00:25:35.579 the floor. It took multiple pregnancy tests for 00:25:35.579 --> 00:25:37.660 me to believe that it was real because it had 00:25:37.660 --> 00:25:41.740 been so many years. And I cried and I wept before 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:44.799 the Lord. And I said, I thought I did something 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:49.740 wrong. I thought it was me. And the Lord said, 00:25:49.880 --> 00:25:55.579 no. The timing has been me. And I want to say 00:25:55.579 --> 00:25:59.799 this today, that God knew that there needed to 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:03.539 be a Jackie in one generation and a Jessica in 00:26:03.539 --> 00:26:07.799 another generation. Where would we be? Where 00:26:07.799 --> 00:26:10.559 would life be? I will be without you. He gave 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:15.059 us Jessica. So for Hannah, her womb looked like 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:18.039 a place of shame, a place of loss, a place of 00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:26.559 unanswered prayer. saw something else. Heaven 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:29.819 saw a womb transformed into a sacred place where 00:26:29.819 --> 00:26:33.539 a prophet was born, destined to guide Israel's 00:26:33.539 --> 00:26:38.119 future, who would listen and follow God. God 00:26:38.119 --> 00:26:43.980 is looking for us to birth the message of God, 00:26:44.140 --> 00:26:47.220 to put it and to impart it into this generation, 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:50.980 to be a church that will listen. and follow God. 00:26:52.339 --> 00:26:54.819 Come on, raise your hand if you agree with me. 00:26:54.980 --> 00:26:57.680 Will you be a people? Church, let's be a people. 00:26:58.059 --> 00:27:01.180 Let's be a people. Let's raise our kids to listen 00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:07.880 and follow God. The very platform God would use 00:27:07.880 --> 00:27:10.420 to display his glory to his people. When Hannah 00:27:10.420 --> 00:27:13.859 experienced as barrenness When Hannah experienced 00:27:13.859 --> 00:27:16.140 as barrenness was not a tomb, it was a womb. 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:18.400 Even though in her mind, she may have considered 00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:21.279 her womb to be dead. It was living and alive 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:24.619 and waiting for God's timing. This message is 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:26.859 so personal to me because I've walked through 00:27:26.859 --> 00:27:31.079 this. And what so many times I thought was the 00:27:31.079 --> 00:27:33.900 end and it was death and it was nothing was changing. 00:27:34.039 --> 00:27:35.960 And the Lord kept saying, there's life, there's 00:27:35.960 --> 00:27:38.240 life, there's life. You just have to trust me. 00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:41.519 With the Lord, we must keep in mind that he does 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:44.799 not see suffering as we do. Our human nature 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:48.059 wants to avoid it at all costs, amen? However, 00:27:48.259 --> 00:27:50.960 God often uses suffering to produce the depth 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:54.980 of faith and reliance on him, not decay and not 00:27:54.980 --> 00:28:00.440 loss. If gemstones and precious metals like pearls, 00:28:00.519 --> 00:28:03.890 diamonds, gold, silver could talk, They would 00:28:03.890 --> 00:28:06.750 tell us about the amazing journeys that they've 00:28:06.750 --> 00:28:10.170 been on to become so beautiful, valuable, and 00:28:10.170 --> 00:28:16.210 wanted. Factors such as heat, pressure, irritation, 00:28:16.450 --> 00:28:21.029 and time represents the challenges encountered 00:28:21.029 --> 00:28:26.089 during their formation. Ultimately, these demanding 00:28:26.089 --> 00:28:29.809 conditions yield results of exceptional worth. 00:28:30.860 --> 00:28:34.059 Often adorning royalty, these materials derive 00:28:34.059 --> 00:28:37.000 their significance from the rigorous transformations 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:42.440 that they endure. What is God forming in us? 00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:48.259 I want to be a ruby. I want to be a diamond. 00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:53.539 I want to be a pearl. We say those dangerous 00:28:53.539 --> 00:29:21.490 things, but that's what is precious. Come on, 00:29:21.490 --> 00:29:25.150 all of that is around us. Sometimes we can get... 00:29:25.400 --> 00:29:29.259 Within the church, we like how it feels. It feels 00:29:29.259 --> 00:29:31.400 clean. We don't want to face difficulty. We want 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:34.519 to face the things around us. But God uses those 00:29:34.519 --> 00:29:36.940 things to form you. God uses those things to 00:29:36.940 --> 00:29:40.400 make you beautiful. God uses those things to 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:44.640 make us precious and priceless gems. Hannah's 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:47.740 grief was genuine. It was not sinful. She described 00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:50.420 herself as a woman of sorrowful spirit, yet remained 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:54.630 devoted to God. Let's look at some keys within 00:29:54.630 --> 00:29:58.390 Hannah's pain. Number one, let trials cultivate 00:29:58.390 --> 00:30:02.750 the fruit of the Spirit. In the waiting, God 00:30:02.750 --> 00:30:06.289 shapes patience, faith, gentleness, and self 00:30:06.289 --> 00:30:09.690 -control. Let those trials cultivate. Number 00:30:09.690 --> 00:30:12.670 two, trials serve as opportunities for spiritual 00:30:12.670 --> 00:30:16.690 growth as demonstrated by Hannah's life. Romans 00:30:16.690 --> 00:30:19.349 8 .18, the sufferings of this present time are 00:30:19.349 --> 00:30:22.039 not worth comparing with the glory. that is to 00:30:22.039 --> 00:30:26.559 be revealed. 2 Corinthians 4, 17, this light 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:29.359 momentary affliction, that word affliction means 00:30:29.359 --> 00:30:32.480 pressure, crushing, trials. It refers to something 00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:35.660 being squeezed is preparing us for an eternal 00:30:35.660 --> 00:30:38.640 way of glory. Four things that this scripture 00:30:38.640 --> 00:30:41.240 highlights, earthly afflictions are temporary. 00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:44.579 Every trial is brief and passing in the grand 00:30:44.579 --> 00:30:48.289 scheme of God's eternal promise. Number two, 00:30:48.450 --> 00:30:51.809 affliction has purpose. Affliction is not just 00:30:51.809 --> 00:30:54.630 a hurdle to endure, but a part of God's transformative 00:30:54.630 --> 00:30:57.750 journey in conforming us to Christ, refining 00:30:57.750 --> 00:31:00.049 our character and preparing us for eternal glory. 00:31:00.650 --> 00:31:03.470 Number three, trials deepen our dependence on 00:31:03.470 --> 00:31:06.470 God. Despite suffering, scripture reveals it's 00:31:06.470 --> 00:31:09.869 part of God's plan and his power. Christ comforts 00:31:09.869 --> 00:31:12.809 us in our struggles, drawing us closer and teaching 00:31:12.809 --> 00:31:15.750 us to trust God. These challenges were showcased 00:31:15.750 --> 00:31:19.710 in Jesus's life. And number four, trials shape 00:31:19.710 --> 00:31:24.069 and refine us. God shapes our character, develops 00:31:24.069 --> 00:31:27.470 perseverance and prepares us for eternity through 00:31:27.470 --> 00:31:32.230 trials. Light afflictions like pressure crushing. 00:31:32.759 --> 00:31:34.859 Trials are significant compared to the eternal 00:31:34.859 --> 00:31:37.779 weight of glory we experience. That is how we 00:31:37.779 --> 00:31:43.039 measure affliction. If we put eternal glory on 00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:46.480 the scale and we put our affliction on the other 00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:51.220 side, that's how we measure it. And the weight 00:31:51.220 --> 00:31:55.140 of the eternal glory cannot even compare. And 00:31:55.140 --> 00:31:58.539 that's what makes the affliction light. The weight 00:31:58.539 --> 00:32:04.950 of the glory, far. It probably takes the scale 00:32:04.950 --> 00:32:08.009 all the way to the bottom. When you're measuring 00:32:08.009 --> 00:32:10.529 your affliction based on someone else's affliction, 00:32:10.609 --> 00:32:14.869 your scales are off. When you read that scripture, 00:32:15.029 --> 00:32:16.930 because I was looking at that scripture going, 00:32:17.009 --> 00:32:19.009 I don't think I agree with light affliction. 00:32:19.029 --> 00:32:21.349 This isn't light. I don't know affliction to 00:32:21.349 --> 00:32:23.450 be like pressing, crushing, trials, being squeezed. 00:32:23.490 --> 00:32:25.430 That doesn't sound light to me. But when you 00:32:25.430 --> 00:32:29.619 compare it to the glory. and why God has the 00:32:29.619 --> 00:32:32.460 afflictions so that you will receive the weight 00:32:32.460 --> 00:32:37.099 of the glory, it can't stand. The second key 00:32:37.099 --> 00:32:39.960 to Hannah's testimony, number one, Hannah's pain, 00:32:40.119 --> 00:32:44.420 number two, Hannah's prayer. The womb where desperation 00:32:44.420 --> 00:32:48.400 births destiny. How many of you in this room 00:32:48.400 --> 00:32:52.619 have experienced a place of desperation? Maybe 00:32:52.619 --> 00:32:54.400 you're in it all the time and you're like, I'm 00:32:54.400 --> 00:32:56.789 tired of being in this place. Well, then you 00:32:56.789 --> 00:33:00.390 just might be birthing a lot of things. It's 00:33:00.390 --> 00:33:04.430 okay. We look at desperation. Again, are we measuring 00:33:04.430 --> 00:33:07.470 our affliction on the scale of other people's 00:33:07.470 --> 00:33:10.529 affliction? Or are we measuring them on the weight 00:33:10.529 --> 00:33:13.769 of the glory and what this affliction is doing 00:33:13.769 --> 00:33:17.029 in preparing us for what we will receive? We 00:33:17.029 --> 00:33:19.549 are not of this world. Hannah's grief drove her 00:33:19.549 --> 00:33:23.549 to the house of God, not away from the house. 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:28.859 Our grief, our pain, our isolation, our insecurities, 00:33:28.900 --> 00:33:32.180 our struggles, our sin that we're ashamed of 00:33:32.180 --> 00:33:35.140 will often drive us out of the house of the Lord. 00:33:35.240 --> 00:33:39.960 It will drive us to a place of separating ourselves 00:33:39.960 --> 00:33:43.640 because of judgment or we have a wrong perspective, 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:46.859 but instead it should drive us to the house of 00:33:46.859 --> 00:33:50.920 the Lord. Every time we come, we come and we 00:33:50.920 --> 00:33:53.900 bring it before the Lord and we recognize that 00:33:53.900 --> 00:33:56.079 this is where we need to be. Hannah's prayer 00:33:56.079 --> 00:34:00.279 stripped her of religious performance. It took 00:34:00.279 --> 00:34:03.779 away the thing that was her identity that somehow, 00:34:03.900 --> 00:34:07.099 again, comparing ourselves to one another, we 00:34:07.099 --> 00:34:09.880 put on a religious cloak and we think we have 00:34:09.880 --> 00:34:13.239 to perform. But her prayer of desperation stripped 00:34:13.239 --> 00:34:16.849 her of that. It caused her to pray agonizing, 00:34:16.869 --> 00:34:20.110 wordless prayers, not from her soul, but from 00:34:20.110 --> 00:34:24.630 her spirit. Hannah did not conceive Samuel casually. 00:34:24.750 --> 00:34:30.369 She conceived him through tears. Tears, a consistent 00:34:30.369 --> 00:34:34.949 place of faith and vulnerability. She conceived 00:34:34.949 --> 00:34:37.949 him through misunderstanding. She conceived him 00:34:37.949 --> 00:34:40.849 through a prolonged waiting. And she conceived 00:34:40.849 --> 00:34:43.880 him through full surrender. Hannah's suffering 00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:46.500 was not in vain. Her pain led to desperation, 00:34:46.760 --> 00:34:50.760 which paved the way of the prophet that God had 00:34:50.760 --> 00:34:53.639 planned to bring through her. Her struggle had 00:34:53.639 --> 00:34:57.800 purpose. Your struggle, church, has purpose. 00:35:00.559 --> 00:35:06.119 Let that sit for a minute. First Peter 1, six 00:35:06.119 --> 00:35:08.559 through seven. Though now for a little while, 00:35:08.659 --> 00:35:12.150 you've been grieved by various trials. so that 00:35:12.150 --> 00:35:15.530 the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious 00:35:15.530 --> 00:35:17.550 than gold that perishes though it's tested by 00:35:17.550 --> 00:35:19.670 fire, may be found to result in praise and glory 00:35:19.670 --> 00:35:22.670 and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:35:22.710 --> 00:35:27.190 Gold and silver and precious gems, they will 00:35:27.190 --> 00:35:31.849 eventually be destroyed, but your faith will 00:35:31.849 --> 00:35:38.639 not, if you will allow it to be tested. Let's 00:35:38.639 --> 00:35:41.179 let the Lord, again, I feel this is such a prophetic 00:35:41.179 --> 00:35:44.099 message to our church right now, or maybe it's 00:35:44.099 --> 00:35:45.980 just to me. So you get to sit here and listen, 00:35:46.079 --> 00:35:50.519 but it's where we're at because we've looked 00:35:50.519 --> 00:35:54.960 at things from the wrong filter and recognizing 00:35:54.960 --> 00:35:59.380 God, I want. Faith that can stand before the 00:35:59.380 --> 00:36:01.940 King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And I want 00:36:01.940 --> 00:36:04.900 my faith to be genuine. And in order for my faith, 00:36:04.960 --> 00:36:07.139 I think it's genuine, but God's like, no, it's 00:36:07.139 --> 00:36:09.679 really not. And we've got to test it. And the 00:36:09.679 --> 00:36:11.599 testing of the fire and the process that you're 00:36:11.599 --> 00:36:15.159 going through is taking our faith to a genuineness 00:36:15.159 --> 00:36:18.019 that we may be found to result in praise and 00:36:18.019 --> 00:36:22.469 glory and honor. Those who sow in tears shall 00:36:22.469 --> 00:36:25.289 reap with shouts of joy. Psalms 126, five. Come 00:36:25.289 --> 00:36:29.030 on, we're gonna reap with shouts of joy. Amen. 00:36:29.110 --> 00:36:31.010 And maybe you need to do that every morning. 00:36:31.090 --> 00:36:33.949 I sowed all night in tears, but today I'm rejoicing. 00:36:35.849 --> 00:36:37.869 Let's look at some keys within Hannah's prayer. 00:36:37.969 --> 00:36:42.289 Number one, know your source. Just like Hannah, 00:36:42.349 --> 00:36:45.210 we turn to the Lord of hosts seeking help from 00:36:45.210 --> 00:36:50.030 him, not from people. I'm gonna skip the scriptures 00:36:50.030 --> 00:36:52.650 here. Number two, pour out your soul honestly. 00:36:52.969 --> 00:36:55.750 Couple of scriptures you can put. Psalms 121, 00:36:55.809 --> 00:36:58.429 one and two. Just put that on your notes. Number 00:36:58.429 --> 00:37:01.550 two, pour out your soul honestly. God can tolerate 00:37:01.550 --> 00:37:04.130 our bitterness, tears, and confusion. He values 00:37:04.130 --> 00:37:07.510 our honesty over pretense. Be vulnerable with 00:37:07.510 --> 00:37:09.949 the Lord. Be real, pour your heart out to him, 00:37:09.969 --> 00:37:13.789 but go to him. Don't, you know, do you know why 00:37:13.789 --> 00:37:18.639 that God kept Zachariah quiet? all the time that 00:37:18.639 --> 00:37:23.519 John the Baptist was in the womb. You all probably 00:37:23.519 --> 00:37:26.860 know, but I'll tell you anyway, because he didn't 00:37:26.860 --> 00:37:30.900 want him to undo by his doubt and unbelief through 00:37:30.900 --> 00:37:36.039 his words. He kept him quiet because he couldn't 00:37:36.039 --> 00:37:41.119 speak according to the agreement of what the 00:37:41.119 --> 00:37:44.239 Lord had spoke. And so he said, I've got to close 00:37:44.239 --> 00:37:48.329 your mouth because what you say, can divert the 00:37:48.329 --> 00:37:53.949 plan and purpose of God. What we say, we have 00:37:53.949 --> 00:37:59.050 to be so careful. Prayer is not just speaking. 00:37:59.150 --> 00:38:02.309 It's an act of yielding oneself. And that was 00:38:02.309 --> 00:38:04.409 precisely what Hannah's prayer was, a complete 00:38:04.409 --> 00:38:07.530 surrender of her soul. We pray in the spirit, 00:38:07.570 --> 00:38:10.849 but we surrender our soul. Number three, we stay 00:38:10.849 --> 00:38:14.789 humbled and surrendered. Hannah's journey reaches 00:38:14.789 --> 00:38:17.429 its deepest and most transformative moment in 00:38:17.429 --> 00:38:20.070 the union between her prayer and her vow. Her 00:38:20.070 --> 00:38:23.070 prayer is the outpouring of a desperate heart. 00:38:24.230 --> 00:38:28.269 Her vow is the surrender of a yielded heart. 00:38:29.329 --> 00:38:32.809 Her prayer is the outpouring of a desperate heart. 00:38:33.309 --> 00:38:36.670 Her vow is the surrender of a yielded heart. 00:38:36.710 --> 00:38:40.030 We can do that. We pour out our prayer to the 00:38:40.030 --> 00:38:43.079 Lord. but then we can vow and say, God, I surrender. 00:38:43.579 --> 00:38:46.880 And we keep saying that. Together, those prayers, 00:38:47.000 --> 00:38:50.980 that pouring out and the surrender form the womb 00:38:50.980 --> 00:38:57.619 in us that God can conceive destiny. What looks 00:38:57.619 --> 00:39:00.059 like a tomb of loss or barrenness is often the 00:39:00.059 --> 00:39:05.980 womb where God creates his greatest works. Number 00:39:05.980 --> 00:39:10.619 four, Hannah's prayer is not polished. or performative. 00:39:12.199 --> 00:39:15.940 It is a soul outpouring. She does not hide her 00:39:15.940 --> 00:39:20.659 anguish. She brings it raw before God. Number 00:39:20.659 --> 00:39:23.420 five, she knew her soul could find rest even 00:39:23.420 --> 00:39:29.280 in the midst of her pain. Psalm 62, one and two. 00:39:29.900 --> 00:39:33.199 My soul finds rest in God alone. My salvation 00:39:33.199 --> 00:39:36.579 comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation. 00:39:37.179 --> 00:39:40.880 He is my fortress. I will never be shaken. And 00:39:40.880 --> 00:39:44.179 number six, Hannah's prayer is marked by perseverance. 00:39:44.880 --> 00:39:48.539 A persistent, unrelecting cry that refuses to 00:39:48.539 --> 00:39:51.900 quit. Year after year, she returns. She stays 00:39:51.900 --> 00:39:57.599 until something shifts. We stay until something 00:39:57.599 --> 00:40:02.000 shifts. We don't take it into our own hands. 00:40:02.260 --> 00:40:05.760 We are staying, church. And we're watching God 00:40:05.760 --> 00:40:09.489 shift it. And we're gonna keep saying, and we're 00:40:09.489 --> 00:40:11.489 gonna keep praying and pouring out our soul. 00:40:11.789 --> 00:40:13.829 And then we're gonna stand up and surrender. 00:40:14.210 --> 00:40:15.949 And then we're gonna go over here and pour out 00:40:15.949 --> 00:40:17.530 our soul because we struggled with the surrender. 00:40:17.750 --> 00:40:19.090 And then we're gonna come back over here and 00:40:19.090 --> 00:40:20.789 surrender. And then we're gonna do it many times 00:40:20.789 --> 00:40:23.469 over and over. We're gonna keep coming to the 00:40:23.469 --> 00:40:26.289 house of the Lord. Keep coming to the house of 00:40:26.289 --> 00:40:29.550 the Lord. Keep encouraging people. Keep imparting 00:40:29.550 --> 00:40:31.849 unto them. Listen, church, this is what we've 00:40:31.849 --> 00:40:35.110 been called to do, to carry the faith of God 00:40:35.110 --> 00:40:38.050 and to be tested in it. And see the salvation 00:40:38.050 --> 00:40:40.190 of the Lord. Because without the testing, we're 00:40:40.190 --> 00:40:42.369 not going to have the victory. And oh, what a 00:40:42.369 --> 00:40:46.090 victory we're beginning to see. Hallelujah. I'm 00:40:46.090 --> 00:40:53.630 excited. Amen. Give him glory. The last key of 00:40:53.630 --> 00:40:56.909 Hannah's testimony is Hannah's promise. The surrender 00:40:56.909 --> 00:41:01.360 that secures the breakthrough. Now comes the 00:41:01.360 --> 00:41:04.239 moment of faith after Eli says in 1 Samuel 1, 00:41:04.320 --> 00:41:08.920 17 and 18, go in peace. The God of Israel grant 00:41:08.920 --> 00:41:12.659 your petition. Soon as she hears those words, 00:41:12.719 --> 00:41:17.500 her countenance changes before her circumstances 00:41:17.500 --> 00:41:22.079 do. Church, we gotta change our countenance. 00:41:22.239 --> 00:41:25.800 We gotta change our confession before the circumstance 00:41:25.800 --> 00:41:31.030 changes. Because God has spoken. The God of Israel 00:41:31.030 --> 00:41:34.590 will grant your petition. Receive that this morning. 00:41:34.710 --> 00:41:39.210 The God of Israel will grant my petition. She 00:41:39.210 --> 00:41:41.670 is a living example of the principle. Believe 00:41:41.670 --> 00:41:43.809 that you have received. Hannah becomes a living 00:41:43.809 --> 00:41:47.449 portrait of sorrow, plus persistence, plus faith, 00:41:47.590 --> 00:41:51.929 plus surrender. Sorrow, plus persistence, plus 00:41:51.929 --> 00:41:55.010 faith. And there's the word we all love, surrender. 00:41:58.190 --> 00:42:00.250 One of the most striking elements of Hannah's 00:42:00.250 --> 00:42:03.130 story is this. She was willing to give back what 00:42:03.130 --> 00:42:06.530 she had waited for. God often asks us to return 00:42:06.530 --> 00:42:10.369 the very miracle he gives us, not to remove it, 00:42:10.489 --> 00:42:18.550 but to secure it. 1 Samuel 1 .11, O Lord of hosts, 00:42:18.630 --> 00:42:20.389 if you will indeed look on the affliction of 00:42:20.389 --> 00:42:22.809 your servant and remember me and not forget. 00:42:23.230 --> 00:42:25.690 your servant. Notice she calls herself your servant. 00:42:25.869 --> 00:42:29.210 Remember me and not forget your servant, not 00:42:29.210 --> 00:42:32.809 her servant, his servant. But will you give to 00:42:32.809 --> 00:42:35.989 your servant a son? Then I will give him to the 00:42:35.989 --> 00:42:38.650 Lord all the days of his life and no razor shall 00:42:38.650 --> 00:42:41.730 touch his head. That's a big vow. Her vow is 00:42:41.730 --> 00:42:46.239 breathtaking and costly. Hannah is seeking something 00:42:46.239 --> 00:42:48.900 she truly desires while also vowing to return 00:42:48.900 --> 00:42:52.820 it to the Lord. Her story rocked my world. And 00:42:52.820 --> 00:42:55.539 I realized, because so many times, even in this 00:42:55.539 --> 00:42:57.460 journey of Life Bible Church, we'd say, Lord, 00:42:57.519 --> 00:42:59.739 you gave us this. You gave us this. You gave 00:42:59.739 --> 00:43:02.420 us this. What's happening? Well, if it has to 00:43:02.420 --> 00:43:04.039 go into the river, it goes into the river. It's 00:43:04.039 --> 00:43:06.320 the Lord's property. But that's not God's plan. 00:43:06.539 --> 00:43:09.019 Lord, you gave it to us. And what is he doing? 00:43:09.079 --> 00:43:12.159 Give it back to him. Just give it back to me. 00:43:12.900 --> 00:43:15.980 It's not for your glory. It's not for your image. 00:43:16.239 --> 00:43:18.800 It's not to make you look good and to be your 00:43:18.800 --> 00:43:22.000 mark of ministry, mark of success. No, give it 00:43:22.000 --> 00:43:24.940 back to me. The very thing that you wanted and 00:43:24.940 --> 00:43:27.500 desired and you fought for and you asked the 00:43:27.500 --> 00:43:29.420 Lord for, the Lord comes and says, will you give 00:43:29.420 --> 00:43:32.599 it to me? Because the Lord only wants you. And 00:43:32.599 --> 00:43:36.000 sometimes the things that he gives us, we begin 00:43:36.000 --> 00:43:40.239 to worship more than the giver himself. And he 00:43:40.239 --> 00:43:44.280 has so much for us. And so he asks us in that 00:43:44.280 --> 00:43:46.400 season, but there's so much that he's doing. 00:43:46.579 --> 00:43:49.139 This was not when she returned it to the Lord. 00:43:49.179 --> 00:43:53.840 It was not an emotional bargaining. It was consecration. 00:43:55.579 --> 00:43:59.260 It was consecration. And what if that's what 00:43:59.260 --> 00:44:02.960 God is doing in your individual life, but it's 00:44:02.960 --> 00:44:07.559 what he's doing at Life Bible Church. He's consecrating 00:44:07.559 --> 00:44:13.219 us. He's cleaning us up. He's removing things 00:44:13.219 --> 00:44:15.800 in our heart. Church, I need you to hear me. 00:44:16.039 --> 00:44:18.980 I hope everything I've said has been okay and 00:44:18.980 --> 00:44:20.659 you're not offended and you're not frustrated, 00:44:20.699 --> 00:44:23.019 you're not bored. But if you can hear me say 00:44:23.019 --> 00:44:26.699 this one thing, we give our things, we give our 00:44:26.699 --> 00:44:28.960 life back to the Lord. We give what he's given 00:44:28.960 --> 00:44:31.420 us, this beautiful place, all of you, but the 00:44:31.420 --> 00:44:33.760 church is people. So it's not about the building. 00:44:35.559 --> 00:44:39.000 So what if God is saying, put yourself back in 00:44:39.000 --> 00:44:47.519 a place. Because God is consecrating us. Jesus 00:44:47.519 --> 00:44:50.599 said in John 10, 18, no one can take my life 00:44:50.599 --> 00:44:56.300 from me. I lay it down of my own free will. Hannah's 00:44:56.300 --> 00:45:01.699 surrender was real, tangible, and costly. Let's 00:45:01.699 --> 00:45:05.719 look at a few keys within her promise. Letter 00:45:05.719 --> 00:45:09.489 A. Receive God's word with faith before you see 00:45:09.489 --> 00:45:14.130 the answer. First Samuel 1, 17 through 18. Then 00:45:14.130 --> 00:45:16.550 Eli answered, go in peace and the God of Israel 00:45:16.550 --> 00:45:18.750 will grant your petition that you have made to 00:45:18.750 --> 00:45:21.989 him. And she said, let your servant find favor 00:45:21.989 --> 00:45:24.829 in your eyes. Then the woman went her way and 00:45:24.829 --> 00:45:34.630 ate and her face was no longer sad. Therefore, 00:45:34.769 --> 00:45:37.869 in Mark 11, 24, therefore, I tell you, whatever 00:45:37.869 --> 00:45:39.949 you ask in prayer, believe that you have received 00:45:39.949 --> 00:45:46.110 it and it will be yours. Believe, perceive, receive, 00:45:46.530 --> 00:45:53.170 and conceive. Believe, perceive, visualize the 00:45:53.170 --> 00:45:57.730 answer, receive, take hold of it, conceive, completed 00:45:57.730 --> 00:46:02.760 action. Faith is present tense reception. It's 00:46:02.760 --> 00:46:06.139 not future tense hope. It's present tense reception. 00:46:06.380 --> 00:46:09.039 We believe we receive the answer even if I don't 00:46:09.039 --> 00:46:12.400 see it. And this was Hannah who received it inwardly 00:46:12.400 --> 00:46:15.480 before she ever conceived physically. Faith is 00:46:15.480 --> 00:46:19.900 present tense. I receive it now, not when I get 00:46:19.900 --> 00:46:25.000 it. I receive it now. Letter B key, recognize 00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:28.500 your influence. You may think you're unseen, 00:46:28.760 --> 00:46:33.360 but people are watching. The faith that is in 00:46:33.360 --> 00:46:37.460 you is contagious and it has the power to create 00:46:37.460 --> 00:46:41.730 the next Samuel. Someone who will live on after 00:46:41.730 --> 00:46:45.369 us. You know, Hebrews 11, 39 through 40 talks 00:46:45.369 --> 00:46:47.510 about, I mean, it's a great faith chapter and 00:46:47.510 --> 00:46:51.010 it talks about those who did not receive what 00:46:51.010 --> 00:46:53.869 they prayed for in their lifetime. But the Bible 00:46:53.869 --> 00:46:55.590 says, and I'm just gonna paraphrase this, the 00:46:55.590 --> 00:46:58.289 Bible talks about how they're actually waiting 00:46:58.289 --> 00:47:00.710 in heaven. God spoke it to them. They received 00:47:00.710 --> 00:47:03.570 it, present tense reception, and they stood in 00:47:03.570 --> 00:47:06.409 it. They're going to receive the benefit of that 00:47:06.409 --> 00:47:07.989 promise even though they didn't see it on the 00:47:07.989 --> 00:47:10.519 earth because they're waiting for us. But that 00:47:10.519 --> 00:47:13.320 word speaks to us because we're looking back 00:47:13.320 --> 00:47:16.619 at their life and we're going, wow, they continued 00:47:16.619 --> 00:47:18.920 in their faith before they even saw it. They 00:47:18.920 --> 00:47:21.559 didn't live their life with a sad countenance. 00:47:21.619 --> 00:47:24.739 They changed their countenance. And so God is 00:47:24.739 --> 00:47:27.900 preparing a people, our brothers and sisters 00:47:27.900 --> 00:47:30.119 who have gone on before us, they're waiting for 00:47:30.119 --> 00:47:34.420 us to finish the race. So if they had finished, 00:47:34.679 --> 00:47:37.539 part of it was God said, no, you're gonna wait. 00:47:38.170 --> 00:47:41.349 for the final, because I care about this generation. 00:47:44.269 --> 00:47:47.610 They lived with faith, holding on to what we 00:47:47.610 --> 00:47:50.730 now see coming to pass. They're cheering us on. 00:47:50.769 --> 00:47:52.369 They're like, don't give up. Don't give up. Don't 00:47:52.369 --> 00:47:54.449 give up. No, no, no, no. Don't do that. Trust 00:47:54.449 --> 00:47:56.949 me. We're seeing it. It's going to happen. We 00:47:56.949 --> 00:47:58.690 had to do the same. Don't give up. Oh, no, no, 00:47:58.730 --> 00:48:00.210 no. They're starting to get weak over here. Okay. 00:48:00.289 --> 00:48:01.650 We got to pray. We got to intercede in there. 00:48:01.690 --> 00:48:03.510 You know, they're in heaven cheering us on and 00:48:03.510 --> 00:48:07.539 we're like, huh? what's going on why you know 00:48:07.539 --> 00:48:09.900 god are you even real you know and they're like 00:48:09.900 --> 00:48:14.699 ah you know come on read hebrews see what is 00:48:14.699 --> 00:48:17.599 happening they're in the race with us they won't 00:48:17.599 --> 00:48:20.400 get to cross over till we get there and they're 00:48:20.400 --> 00:48:23.420 ready to receive with us that's what that's how 00:48:23.420 --> 00:48:32.699 god does it oh hallelujah i gotta wake you up 00:48:33.280 --> 00:48:36.260 No sleeping in church this morning, right? Letter 00:48:36.260 --> 00:48:39.800 C, keep your vows. Integrity matters. God honors 00:48:39.800 --> 00:48:42.760 those who keep their word to him. Ecclesiastes 00:48:42.760 --> 00:48:45.179 5, four through five. You can look it up later. 00:48:45.360 --> 00:48:49.820 A promise made to God is a sacred thing. Hannah 00:48:49.820 --> 00:48:53.019 keeps hers and history was shaped by her obedience. 00:48:54.000 --> 00:48:56.300 Quickly, three ways that God responds to Hannah. 00:48:57.039 --> 00:48:59.519 And we're gonna begin to get ready to receive 00:48:59.519 --> 00:49:02.739 the communion table this morning. Number one, 00:49:02.760 --> 00:49:06.039 multiplication. What is released to God is never 00:49:06.039 --> 00:49:09.940 lost. What is surrendered to God is never wasted. 00:49:10.619 --> 00:49:13.400 And what is given back to God is multiplied. 00:49:15.820 --> 00:49:18.019 Hannah's story proves that after surrendering 00:49:18.019 --> 00:49:21.500 Samuel, God gave her three more sons and two 00:49:21.500 --> 00:49:25.440 daughters, five children, the number of grace, 00:49:25.659 --> 00:49:29.400 which is what her name means. When she gave to 00:49:29.400 --> 00:49:33.940 God, God multiplied to her. Galatians 6, 9. In 00:49:33.940 --> 00:49:36.239 due season, we will reap if we do not give up. 00:49:36.739 --> 00:49:40.380 Number two, ways that God responded to Hannah 00:49:40.380 --> 00:49:43.980 through miracle working power. Hannah's pain 00:49:43.980 --> 00:49:48.300 made her desperate. Her prayer is the cry that 00:49:48.300 --> 00:49:51.139 brought an open heaven and her promise was the 00:49:51.139 --> 00:49:55.579 surrender that secured the miracle. Hannah illustrates 00:49:55.579 --> 00:49:57.719 that the greatest breakthrough occurs when three 00:49:57.719 --> 00:50:02.440 things happen. Desperation meets surrender. Faith 00:50:02.440 --> 00:50:05.800 meets obedience. And our deepest longings are 00:50:05.800 --> 00:50:10.800 placed back into God's hands. Desperation meets 00:50:10.800 --> 00:50:12.860 surrender. Faith meets obedience. Our deepest 00:50:12.860 --> 00:50:18.320 longings are placed back into God's hands. And 00:50:18.320 --> 00:50:21.099 number three, the great legacy. When Samuel was 00:50:21.099 --> 00:50:23.320 born, it was not merely the end of Hannah's suffering. 00:50:23.420 --> 00:50:26.960 It was the beginning of something great. Greater 00:50:26.960 --> 00:50:31.719 than her personal joy. Samuel guided Israel from 00:50:31.719 --> 00:50:34.840 the judges to the kings, anointed Saul and David, 00:50:34.960 --> 00:50:37.500 and brought back, come on, the nation's prophetic 00:50:37.500 --> 00:50:43.739 power. We are in seasons, continual seasons, 00:50:43.840 --> 00:50:47.360 but I believe prophetically for our church, there's 00:50:47.360 --> 00:50:52.380 a birthing of another generation. The Gen Z generation, 00:50:52.699 --> 00:50:55.019 and I don't know, what's the name of the one 00:50:55.019 --> 00:51:00.039 after that? Alpha? Sorry. I'm gonna ask my daughter 00:51:00.039 --> 00:51:03.420 about that. But what if that is the generation 00:51:03.420 --> 00:51:07.539 that is in being weighed in the balance? Something's 00:51:07.539 --> 00:51:10.239 happening to that generation and there's a hunger 00:51:10.239 --> 00:51:14.199 for the spiritual things. But it's gotta be the 00:51:14.199 --> 00:51:18.159 right spiritual things, church. And so we, as 00:51:18.159 --> 00:51:21.619 the generations before them, have got to be willing 00:51:21.619 --> 00:51:26.550 to have it. birthed in us so that the next generation, 00:51:26.730 --> 00:51:29.110 the alpha generation, the one after that will 00:51:29.110 --> 00:51:32.030 live and usher in the second coming. And there 00:51:32.030 --> 00:51:34.610 will be a prophetic power released over the church 00:51:34.610 --> 00:51:37.650 and over the nations. Come on, we need God to 00:51:37.650 --> 00:51:41.210 speak more than ever because there's enough voices 00:51:41.210 --> 00:51:44.010 and enough answers out there being spoken. We've 00:51:44.010 --> 00:51:48.170 got to hear what is God saying. And let's commit 00:51:48.170 --> 00:51:53.099 to that from the front row. To the back. I see 00:51:53.099 --> 00:51:56.739 y 'all up against the wall. I see you. Staying 00:51:56.739 --> 00:51:59.940 awake. Thank you. All right, we're gonna prepare 00:51:59.940 --> 00:52:01.659 the table of the Lord as we close. I'm gonna 00:52:01.659 --> 00:52:03.380 have the worship team come and the ushers are 00:52:03.380 --> 00:52:07.900 gonna sit up the communion table for us. Hannah's 00:52:07.900 --> 00:52:10.280 story shows us that God does his deepest work 00:52:10.280 --> 00:52:13.900 in hidden places. We need to trust God in the 00:52:13.900 --> 00:52:17.719 silence and surrender with what we love the most. 00:52:19.179 --> 00:52:21.900 In hidden places, it's easy to feel self -pity 00:52:21.900 --> 00:52:25.480 or loneliness, but it's important that we believe 00:52:25.480 --> 00:52:30.920 in him before we see the promise. Nothing surrendered 00:52:30.920 --> 00:52:33.800 is wasted and nothing placed in God's hands fails 00:52:33.800 --> 00:52:39.139 to bear the fruit in its time. This quote from 00:52:39.139 --> 00:52:44.639 A .B. Simpson says this, God is preparing his 00:52:44.639 --> 00:52:47.960 heroes and when the opportunity comes, He can 00:52:47.960 --> 00:52:51.000 fit them into their places in a moment and the 00:52:51.000 --> 00:52:56.219 world will wonder where they came from. So for 00:52:56.219 --> 00:53:01.719 all of us today, some of you feel like you're 00:53:01.719 --> 00:53:06.980 in a place like a tomb, a closed door, a silent 00:53:06.980 --> 00:53:11.179 heaven, maybe a barren season or an unanswered 00:53:11.179 --> 00:53:16.059 prayer. But what if it's not a tomb? What if 00:53:16.059 --> 00:53:18.260 it's a womb? What if it's the place you have 00:53:18.260 --> 00:53:20.900 labeled death, but it's actually divine gestation? 00:53:24.320 --> 00:53:27.559 Hannah thought she was carrying shame, but heaven 00:53:27.559 --> 00:53:32.000 knew she was carrying a prophet. You may feel 00:53:32.000 --> 00:53:34.119 like today you're carrying disappointment, but 00:53:34.119 --> 00:53:38.789 heaven may be forming destiny in you. I said 00:53:38.789 --> 00:53:40.530 this earlier, but I want to read it again. John 00:53:40.530 --> 00:53:44.889 12, 24. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the 00:53:44.889 --> 00:53:48.489 earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, 00:53:48.530 --> 00:53:51.769 it bears much fruit. You know, the enemy is always 00:53:51.769 --> 00:53:58.550 trying to get us to be alone. He's always trying 00:53:58.550 --> 00:54:03.429 to isolate us. And I, if you'll just bow your 00:54:03.429 --> 00:54:07.139 head with me, I want to pray as we just. prepare 00:54:07.139 --> 00:54:09.860 we're gonna the worship team's gonna sing and 00:54:09.860 --> 00:54:13.099 we're gonna come and receive dismiss to receive 00:54:13.099 --> 00:54:18.199 the table of the Lord but I want us to just pray 00:54:18.199 --> 00:54:20.039 this prayer within our heart and I'll pray it 00:54:20.039 --> 00:54:23.440 and you can just be in agreement with me Lord 00:54:23.440 --> 00:54:27.880 I release the things that I love the most Lord 00:54:27.880 --> 00:54:30.579 I bring to you a surrendered heart I give you 00:54:30.579 --> 00:54:35.940 my dreams Lord I give you my timeline I give 00:54:35.940 --> 00:54:41.980 you my children. I give you my ministry, my reputation, 00:54:41.980 --> 00:54:47.320 and every unanswered prayer. Lord, I surrender 00:54:47.320 --> 00:54:50.559 it to you. And God, as we come to your table, 00:54:50.679 --> 00:54:55.340 we recognize that we are stepping into the ultimate 00:54:55.340 --> 00:54:59.019 expression of surrender and covenant. And we 00:54:59.019 --> 00:55:03.019 receive today this table in remembrance of you, 00:55:03.079 --> 00:55:07.760 remembering. That you surrendered all. And for 00:55:07.760 --> 00:55:14.679 that, God, we surrender it back to you. That 00:55:14.679 --> 00:55:19.079 everything we give will be multiplied for your 00:55:19.079 --> 00:55:24.860 glory. Thank you for taking the time to listen 00:55:24.860 --> 00:55:27.800 to this week's message. We are so grateful for 00:55:27.800 --> 00:55:30.719 those who tune in each week and have given generously 00:55:30.719 --> 00:55:33.800 to this ministry. 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