Whispers!

In a previous blog I had written how our grand-child loves to whisper. The telling of a secret is fun for a small child, but those who are grown up and do not keep them become the teller or the gossiper of said story or tale! But remembering we are to come before God as children, and have that relationship with Him, what does a whisper look like? When coming to God as a child and speaking, what voice does one use?  Again, I think of our grand-child and how she speaks. There are times she is serious, especially about the "artwork" and she speaks seriously about how many pictures to color. As for me, I love to color pictures with her. It relaxes me to hear better and to watch her more intently as she works her way through a day of life living as a child. Her more humorous times comes in the "sun" while out of doors. You have probably read that story as well. She can get loud and can be heard around the whole neighborhood. Yes, she can voice what she is experiencing. And did God not give us a voice to be heard?

In thinking on this writing this morning, I thought of how I always thought of Hannah when praying before the Lord. It was that "whisper" I thought of and how she prayed with moving her lips but so silently speaking in whisper tones of the pain she was experiencing.

She had wanted a son and she had no children at all. In referencing Hannah for this, I am reminded of the "extreme" life she had lived. In her painful existence as a wife, she had no children with her husband. In reading about Hannah, we see that she never stopped sharing her heart with the Lord. In 1 Samuel 1:10, we find her praying out in pain of all that she was dealing with in her life!


1 Samuel 1:9-18.....9 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. 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish. 11 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." 

12 And it happened, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli watched her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!" 15 And Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16 Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now." 17 Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him." 18 And she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. NKJV

Out of the abundance of our heart, we will speak. (verse 16) Matthew 12:34-37...........
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."   NKJV

The priest Eli saw Hannah. He evidently had moved closer by verse 13 and he saw her lips moving, but her voice he could not hear. A WHISPER!
Eli in his haste to speak called her a woman who was drunk. He was scolding her to put her wine away. But Hannah responded, "NO, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now."
She had spoken in the past, but the pain was such that she now had only a WHISPER!
AT THAT MOMENT, all she had left within her was that WHISPER OF PAIN. 

Proverbs 13:12......12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when dreams come true at last, there is life and joy.  TLB

Psalm 143:7-10........7 Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens; don't turn away from me or I shall die. 8 Let me see your kindness to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for my prayer is sincere. 9 Save me from my enemies. O Lord, I run to you to hide me. 10 Help me to do your will, for you are my God. Lead me in good paths, for your Spirit is good.  TLB

Hannah had shared her home with another woman who had given Hannah's husband, Elkanah children. Peninah was mean to Hannah and flaunted the truth that she could give Elkanah children, and we see in 1 Samuel 1:4-8....that Hannah was provoked in a way that irritated Hannah. Hannah was in such an unrest that she could not eat but cried instead.
1 Samuel 1:4-8........ 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. 6 And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?" NIV

Hannah was so loved by her husband, yet her womb was closed up. She had not given her loving husband a child! She probably suffered much anguish. I am certain that when Peninah challenged her about the children, Hannah had to confront her anguish by seeking God. Hannah held her ground. 

She demonstrated a prayer life that only ONE God could answer with what she asked. When it came to WHISPERS, she kept her eyes on God for the answer to come. We certainly do not have to experience that which Hannah did, for today there is a law against having more than one wife at a time. But we should still see that in whatever Hannah's problems, she gained a much needed strength in prayer!

Is our prayer life one that truly exists? Is our day set and scheduled around God and His purpose for us that day? I remember a friend stating once that her life-line to God was much like a rope. She considered her prayer time, a time where she would keep one end and throw God the other and wait on Him to answer. She always considered God to keep what she had given to Him in prayer and that answers would come. She prayed to receive them in the form to which He desired to answer her! 

2 Corinthians 4:13-15...........13 We boldly say what we believe [trusting God to care for us], just as the psalm writer did when he said, "I believe and therefore I speak." 14 We know that the same God who brought the Lord Jesus back from death will also bring us back to life again with Jesus and present us to him along with you. 15 These sufferings of ours are for your benefit. And the more of you who are won to Christ, the more there are to thank him for his great kindness, and the more the Lord is glorified. TLB  

         

1 Samuel 1:18-23............18 And she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. 

19 Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the LORD." 21 Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD and remain there forever." 23 And Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the LORD establish His word." So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. NKJV

1 Samuel 2:18-21............18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. 19 Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was lent to the LORD." Then they would go to their own home. 21 And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the LORD.   NKJV

From chapters 1 and 2 of 1 Samuel, we find the Lord blessing Hannah. In verse 20 of 1 Samuel 1, we find she conceived, and called him Samuel. He was to minister before the LORD God. And in 1 Samuel 2:21, we find Hannah conceived and gave birth to three more sons and two daughters. Hannah received her desire and gave him to the Lord without hesitation. What a faith we see in Hannah! A woman who experienced derision and tribulation when another woman shared her husband. But a true beauty came through that her trust was to be in God the Lord and He would see her through those demanding experiences of pain. Because of a thankful heart, she received more children in her union with Elkanah!  We do not reside in a "rose garden" where there are no trials or tribulations. But we do live life that in whatever comes, our expectancy is to be in the Lord. For He will do valiantly, and the more we trust in Him, the more ease and peace, we will experience in knowing He has our back.
I believe Hannah always had a forgiving heart toward Peninah.

I close this by writing to those who may be men reading this. In regards to Hannah and what she believed for in her union with her husband, men can also experience such in the workplace.
I believe this to be a prophetic word to any men who work in the business arena. What God has placed in you to do for His kingdom can still come forward and be given life. For with Hannah, we saw a woman who was so provoked by another, only a whisper remained to pray. If that is where you are today, remember God still hears, and when we truly believe that He can bring to life that which we may have thought was dead or would never happen, God is on your side and He will do what He has promised! Whatever Peninah's surround you in the workplace and whatever "children" the other person has, whatever great idea or concept the other person may hold at this moment, God still hears and answers prayers. He is forever leaning forward, and reaching out to us. All we have to do is speak, even in a WHISPER, "Lord, help me"............and reach out whether it be in anguish, despair and heartache, He will HEAR AND HE WILL ANSWER!  HE WILL BRING FORTH THAT WHICH HE DESIRES TO BIRTH THROUGH YOU IN THE WORKPLACE THAT WILL BRING PRAISE AND GLORY TO HIS HOLY NAME!
Lord, what the righteous desire will be granted (Prov 10:24), When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever. (Prov 10:25), the prospect of the righteous is joy (Prov 10:28), and (my )  mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,(Prov 10:31)!

 Father, thank You for those times we must WHISPER! We pray that You will stir us. As we read and spend time with YOU, we use that time in worshipful praise through our prayer time. We choose to continue to give YOU praise and honor for all that happens in this place of worship to YOU.  Father, we pray to be those men and women who will pray and co-operate with YOU and the instruction YOU give us. We pray that You bring illumination to things we may not understand at this moment. Today, we give thanks that YOUR Word comes into places we need to see and to make decisions based on the truth of YOUR Word. We seek to be those who will give birth to the new concepts, the new inventions, the world-changing ideas that will no longer be hindered by our own thinking, but we will prevail, because we hold onto to YOUR ways and thoughts and operate in the wisdom of God that will see the kingdom come in our workplace, homes and ministries.

We believe those decisions we must make, will be made in truth and integrity without pain and any difficulty. Thank Your for showing us things that are hidden to us that we must know. We give thanks in advance of any warnings we may need to know and need to respond to. We desire to keep step with YOU and YOUR ways today. It is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen and Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV)