A VOW FOR A MIRACLE

• DAY 151
• FEAR FILE: HANNAH
• SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 1:9-11

“So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.””‬‬

‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV

Yesterday we talked about how Hannah was mocked by her rival, her Co-wife Peninnah for her inability to have a child, and how that made her sad and hurt her heart. Because she wanted to have her own child and the mockery to end, she always went before the Temple of the Lord to pray when her family went to make an offering. But this time her prayers were answered and she conceived. What was the difference between every other time she cried and now? A vow!

So do you have to make a vow everytime to get your prayers answered? No! Hannah received her miracle because that vow brought her into alignment with God’s plan. ALIGNMENT finally occurred. She now understood that to get what she wanted, she needed to get out of her own way. Let me explain.

God Has An Agenda

At the time of this incident God was in need of a prophet to takeover from Eli, the then present serving high priest, because he did not raise his children in the way of the Lord, God disinherited their lineage. (We’re going to look into that later on). So He needed somebody to take Eli’s place.

This will be a good place to remind you that your miracle is beyond you. God has a purpose for you and it will include being the channel that births His purpose on the earth. Often times God’s big purposes take time to manifest on the earth. So it was with Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, John, and Jesus. But most importantly the people who will birth His purpose have to be willing and ready to realease it back to the Lord.

Think about it, if Hannah had had her baby all the time that she was crying to God, she probably would have used it as a show off to her rival, just to rub in her face and prove that she wasn’t barren. And God is not about to give you a miracle just to make your enemies feel bad. God is giving you a miracle because of his agenda and his purpose. He wants to set you on the course that he has prepared for you.

It’s Not About You

In this selfie driven world, we often forget that we were made. So, sorry to burst your bubble but the world does not revolve around you. Not everything is not about you. God has a bigger picture in mind.

I know it’s painful to wait, but God is not just going to answer your prayers because you have haters you need to prove a point to. So God will wait until you can say, with your words or your actions, “If You give it to me, I’ll give it back to You.” 

Get Out The Way

If we want to be the channels for God’s big purpose, we have to be flexible enough to allow God to use it for what He wants to use it for.  You can’t hold so tightly to your miracle that you forget that you are just a custodian. God brought it through you not to you.

If God gives you that car, house, money, spouse or child, will you let Him use it for His purpose? Are you currently letting God decide what you do with the blessings you already have? Or do you argue when He says, empty your bank account and sow a seed?

Now is a good time to check your motives for why you’re praying for that miracle, because that might be what is hindering you from getting it. 

Now pray and tell God that you don’t want to hold onto this thing anything so much that you hinder His purpose. Ask Him for grace to be a faithful custodian/ steward. Pray In Jesus name.

Shalom