WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.960 Hannah's tears were like liquid words, and God could read them all. 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:13.320 The Lord understands the language of tears, 00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:18.680 sighs, groans and earnest heart desires. 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:25.520 Grace and peace to you all in Jesus’ name. 00:00:25.520 --> 00:00:28.800 Well, hello, everybody. My name is Christina. 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:34.040 And by the grace of God, I have the incredible privilege 00:00:34.040 --> 00:00:37.760 of sharing God's Word with you today. 00:00:37.760 --> 00:00:41.480 I am so excited to be in your midst today. 00:00:41.480 --> 00:00:46.360 And I have a wonderful opportunity to remind us 00:00:46.360 --> 00:00:52.320 that the plan of God for our lives is beautiful. 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:55.880 Amen! Do you believe that today? 00:00:55.880 --> 00:01:00.080 If you do, tell your neighbour or if you don't have a neighbour, 00:01:00.080 --> 00:01:02.760 tell me and I will tell you, 00:01:02.760 --> 00:01:07.600 “The plan of God for your life is beautiful.” 00:01:07.600 --> 00:01:20.000 And just as we have natural seasons in the world, Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11 reminds us that, 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:29.480 “There is time for everything, a season for every activity under the heavens.” 00:01:29.480 --> 00:01:38.320 Ecclesiastes 3:11, “God has made everything beautiful in its time. 00:01:38.320 --> 00:01:43.600 He has also set eternity in the human heart. 00:01:43.600 --> 00:01:51.160 Yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to the end.” 00:01:51.160 --> 00:01:57.800 What a beautiful picture it is to see people from all over the world joining us today. 00:01:57.800 --> 00:02:01.160 Some of you will be in the southern hemisphere where you've been 00:02:01.160 --> 00:02:03.520 experiencing your winter season. 00:02:03.520 --> 00:02:07.160 Some of you will be in those countries closer to the continent 00:02:07.160 --> 00:02:10.280 where the seasons are a little bit more stable. 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:18.280 Well, here in the United Kingdom, we have very diverse natural seasons. 00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:22.560 Right now, we are coming to the end of our summer season 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:26.440 where the temperature is a little bit warmer, 00:02:26.440 --> 00:02:33.680 fruit trees display their crops and the sun sets late into the evening. 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:39.640 In the coming months, we’ll experience the autumn season, where the landscape turns 00:02:39.640 --> 00:02:45.560 gold and brown and children play in the falling leaves. 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:49.080 But then, we experience the winter season - 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:58.760 that cold, dark season where the temperature drops and daylight is limited. 00:02:58.760 --> 00:03:06.040 Just when we feel as if winter will never end, the spring season boldly announces 00:03:06.040 --> 00:03:14.960 its colourful character and we see daffodils blossom and all manner of flowers bloom. 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:20.840 Now, I personally dislike the winter season most of all. 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:25.400 But, of course, I have confidence in the laws of nature 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:29.840 that ensure winter doesn’t last forever. 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:35.480 And above all, we all understand that each season serves a purpose. 00:03:35.480 --> 00:03:43.800 After all, there must be seed time and summer time before the autumn reaping. 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:49.160 But then I ask myself, ‘If we can have so much confidence 00:03:49.160 --> 00:03:54.280 in the laws of nature when it comes to natural seasons, 00:03:54.280 --> 00:04:00.560 how much more confidence should we have in God - the God of nature, 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:03.520 the God of the heavens and the earth - 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:08.240 when it comes to the various seasons in our lives?’ 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:13.640 I ask myself, ‘Can I apply even greater faith in God 00:04:13.640 --> 00:04:23.560 during those dark, harsh winter seasons of my life manifested in life's tests and trials? 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:27.880 Do I trust God that they won’t last forever? 00:04:27.880 --> 00:04:36.200 And above all, do I recognise that each season in my life serves a purpose?’ 00:04:36.200 --> 00:04:41.320 This will bring us to the title of our message today, 00:04:41.320 --> 00:04:47.960 “Everything is beautiful in God's time.” 00:04:47.960 --> 00:04:52.360 The Bible says that for everything, there is time and season - 00:04:52.360 --> 00:04:59.240 a time to labour and a time to reap the products of grace. 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:09.080 So, give God time. The results are working themselves out slowly but surely. 00:05:09.080 --> 00:05:18.680 Now, I have a packet of seeds with me here today, and according to this packet, 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:25.480 this seed has the potential to become a sweet pea flower. 00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:27.080 But you know what? 00:05:27.080 --> 00:05:33.120 As long as I keep these seeds here, in the God's Heart TV Studio, 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:36.560 in this beautiful and comfortable surrounding, 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:44.040 this seed will never fulfil its potential because seeds are for sowing. 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:49.280 And, no matter the picture of what they've written about this seed becoming, 00:05:49.280 --> 00:05:56.280 seeds are powerless until they are planted. 00:05:56.280 --> 00:06:04.680 We also have a picture of an amazing apple tree on display with me right here. 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:08.360 Wow! Beautiful fruit! 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:15.560 But if this tree could talk, it would tell you that what you are seeing here did not just happen. 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:20.120 No! It took time and patience. 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:28.080 If this tree could talk, it would tell you that it was once a tiny seed that was pushed 00:06:28.080 --> 00:06:32.600 into a deep, dark hole in the ground. 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:38.520 It will tell you, if that wasn't enough, soil much heavier than its own weight, 00:06:38.520 --> 00:06:41.120 was pushed on top of it. 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:47.360 But this was necessary for that seed to germinate and discover its roots - 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:53.720 roots that would go deep into the ground to absorb nutrients from the soil 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:57.760 and absorb water, to give it strength. 00:06:57.760 --> 00:07:04.160 And that strength eventually empowered that seed to push its way through 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:07.400 that heavy soil towards the light. 00:07:07.400 --> 00:07:11.760 And here it is today, a fruitful tree. 00:07:11.760 --> 00:07:16.480 Yes, everything is beautiful in its time. 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:21.280 But like the changing seasons, that time is limited. 00:07:21.280 --> 00:07:25.400 Often, when we are young, we think we can go it all alone 00:07:25.400 --> 00:07:30.880 without any reference to God, but little do we recognise 00:07:30.880 --> 00:07:34.280 that everything has its time and season, 00:07:34.280 --> 00:07:38.000 that man may toil and work hard, 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:45.440 but it is the duty of God to determine the time and season of the harvest. 00:07:45.440 --> 00:07:55.400 What is your situation today? Do you feel as if you have been planting those seeds, 00:07:55.400 --> 00:08:02.920 as if you have been praying over those situations, but you are waiting, longing 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:06.720 to eat the fruit of your labour? 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:10.400 Do you feel like you are in a deep, dark place? 00:08:10.400 --> 00:08:16.040 Maybe you have been praying over a particular ailment, a problem or a crisis. 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:19.640 Maybe you're not sure if there is any corresponding action 00:08:19.640 --> 00:08:23.960 or how to get your head above it all. 00:08:23.960 --> 00:08:27.800 Let me encourage you today. 00:08:27.800 --> 00:08:35.960 Maybe God allowed you, like that seed, to be in that deep, dark place 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:42.320 that you could discover your roots in God to become that man or woman of faith. 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:47.440 That by drawing on God's resources, you too can push your way up 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:51.760 through that sickness, through that trial, through that oppression 00:08:51.760 --> 00:08:57.200 and begin to produce good fruits. 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:04.600 Now, the way that God executes His plan in our lives differs. 00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:08.320 We may have been praying over a particular matter. 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:13.440 I mean, even today, you may have been listening to testimonies 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:17.360 or looking around at people who are sharing what God has done 00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:21.640 and saying, ‘God, when will it be my turn?’ 00:09:21.640 --> 00:09:26.280 Instead of rejoicing, you find yourself asking God, 00:09:26.280 --> 00:09:31.320 ‘Oh Lord, I need my own breakthrough! When is my own coming?’ 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:35.160 Maybe you are looking around at people in your life and saying, 00:09:35.160 --> 00:09:42.160 ‘Oh, everybody seems to be getting a job these days but I can't even get an interview! 00:09:42.160 --> 00:09:44.960 Wow. All my friends are getting married. 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:50.200 They're on their second and third child already. Am I left behind?’ 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:54.280 Or maybe you're saying, ‘Oh, everybody around me seems to be 00:09:54.280 --> 00:09:57.560 on the housing ladder, buying homes. 00:09:57.560 --> 00:10:01.560 But here am I, unable to even rent my own apartment.’ 00:10:01.560 --> 00:10:04.760 You think they're further ahead of you. 00:10:04.760 --> 00:10:10.000 But I want to tell you that God is still saying something. 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:11.800 God has not abandoned you. 00:10:11.800 --> 00:10:13.760 He has not neglected you. 00:10:13.760 --> 00:10:16.960 He has not decided that you are not good enough, not smart enough, 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:21.040 not beautiful or handsome enough. No! He has not. 00:10:21.040 --> 00:10:26.920 But the way and manner God executes His plan in our lives differs. 00:10:26.920 --> 00:10:32.360 Today, I want us to draw strength from the life of Hannah. 00:10:32.360 --> 00:10:38.280 And we will understand that everything is beautiful in God's time. 00:10:38.280 --> 00:10:48.760 So, let us open our Bibles at the book of 1 Samuel 1:2. 00:10:48.760 --> 00:10:57.160 Now it says, “Elkana had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. 00:10:57.160 --> 00:11:01.200 Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.” 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:05.560 1 Samuel 1:6 - “Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, 00:11:05.560 --> 00:11:10.080 her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:14.280 This went on year after year.” 00:11:14.280 --> 00:11:19.160 Hannah was a barren woman in a polygamous marriage 00:11:19.160 --> 00:11:22.960 where Peninnah, the provoking rival, 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:28.800 not only received what Hannah had been praying for year after year 00:11:28.800 --> 00:11:32.480 but at the same time, she was provoking her! 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:38.800 Peninnah had children year after year but Hannah did not. 00:11:38.800 --> 00:11:45.720 Instead, Hannah remained barren year after year. 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:52.520 Clearly, Hannah could have fallen into that lethal trap of comparing herself 00:11:52.520 --> 00:11:57.280 with Peninnah, the provoking rival. 00:11:57.280 --> 00:12:00.000 Because Hannah would come before the Lord and pray 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:06.160 but she would just see Peninnah having children time and time again. 00:12:06.160 --> 00:12:09.720 When you compare yourself with others, 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:16.840 you choose to take your focus off God and His perfect will for your life. 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:22.360 Instead, you end up nurturing unhealthy patterns of thinking, 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:29.040 which in turn develop into full blown bitterness, jealousy, depression. 00:12:29.040 --> 00:12:34.000 But God's Word is the remedy for every malady. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:40.440 So if you are struggling to conquer comparison and find yourself feeling, 00:12:40.440 --> 00:12:43.080 ‘Lord, when is it my turn?’ - 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:47.200 instead of rejoicing at people's testimonies, you feel left out - 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:50.440 then let this Word of God encourage you right now. 00:12:50.440 --> 00:12:55.320 Allow this Word of God in the midst of your heart and something inside of you, 00:12:55.320 --> 00:13:01.600 a powerful force called faith, will allow you to fix your focus again on God 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:07.480 and His will for your life, and not on that of those around you. 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:12.840 Let us continue to read. So it says in 1 Samuel 1:7, 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:16.800 “This went on year after year. 00:13:16.800 --> 00:13:20.960 Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:25.600 her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:29.680 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, ‘Hannah, why are you weeping? 00:13:29.680 --> 00:13:32.720 Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:37.560 Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 00:13:37.560 --> 00:13:41.200 Take note of what happened to Hannah 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:44.920 Whenever she went up to the house of the Lord, 00:13:44.920 --> 00:13:49.400 when she had made that decision to come before God with her situation, 00:13:49.400 --> 00:13:55.520 that was the time the provocation was at its most intense. 00:13:55.520 --> 00:14:01.600 You see right now, as you have made that decision to come before God, 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:06.880 to join us for today’s Interactive Prayer Service, there will be distractions. 00:14:06.880 --> 00:14:12.160 There will be things poking you, maybe disappointing you or trying to derail you, 00:14:12.160 --> 00:14:17.520 to take your eyes off what God is doing, to get you out of faith. 00:14:17.520 --> 00:14:19.080 Think about it. 00:14:19.080 --> 00:14:24.040 What distractions right now are screaming for your attention? 00:14:24.040 --> 00:14:28.240 What seeming conflicting priorities are trying to pull you away 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:33.160 from this moment right now - your Divine appointment with Jesus Christ! 00:14:33.160 --> 00:14:38.200 As a Christian, it is your duty to divorce yourself from those distractions 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:43.240 so that you can come and fix your attention on the Word of God. 00:14:43.240 --> 00:14:46.080 Focus is your personal decision. 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:50.680 So right now, make that decision to put every distraction aside. 00:14:50.680 --> 00:14:53.400 Let’s continue to read in 1 Samuel 1:9. 00:14:53.400 --> 00:14:59.360 “Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:05.560 Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost in the Lord’s house.” 00:15:05.560 --> 00:15:12.400 Hannah made the wisest choice to come before God with her situation. 00:15:12.400 --> 00:15:17.120 She stood up, separated herself from provoking Peninnah 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:20.200 and came before God as she was. 00:15:20.200 --> 00:15:25.000 Like Hannah, maybe you too need to distance yourself from those who love 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:29.560 to provoke your weakness or from that which distracts. 00:15:29.560 --> 00:15:33.520 The Bible says Hannah had finished eating and drinking, 00:15:33.520 --> 00:15:40.840 knowing that only Someone much greater could satisfy. 00:15:40.840 --> 00:15:45.600 Like Hannah, maybe you too need to stand up from that table of distraction 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:48.760 where you consume the pointless pleasures of this world, 00:15:48.760 --> 00:15:56.920 and look to the One who makes food, drink or whatever it is you’re relying on, insufficient. 00:15:56.920 --> 00:16:00.520 What do I mean by those pointless pleasures of this world? 00:16:00.520 --> 00:16:04.640 I mean, those things that prop you up temporarily - 00:16:04.640 --> 00:16:08.800 those things that seem to pacify your inner needs, 00:16:08.800 --> 00:16:13.240 but they leave you hungry and wanting more. 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:18.200 It could be the dopamine hit you receive while scrolling through social media. 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:23.880 It could be the escapism of watching that romantic movie. 00:16:23.880 --> 00:16:25.000 It could be lust. 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:26.120 It could be pornography. 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:29.280 It could be masturbation. 00:16:29.280 --> 00:16:33.400 You know, what we have downloaded from this world 00:16:33.400 --> 00:16:39.640 can infiltrate our mind and infect our heart. 00:16:39.640 --> 00:16:44.080 Just like an electronic device that has downloaded a virus 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:51.160 and needs to be reset back to its factory default settings, we too need to be reset. 00:16:51.160 --> 00:16:52.920 We need to be refocused. 00:16:52.920 --> 00:16:55.600 We need a Divine detox. 00:16:55.600 --> 00:17:01.680 We need a righteous revival through Scriptural solution. 00:17:01.680 --> 00:17:05.520 So Hannah chose to put those things aside 00:17:05.520 --> 00:17:10.200 and seek the One who made food and drink insufficient. 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:14.040 Let us continue to read in 1 Samuel 1:10. 00:17:14.040 --> 00:17:19.960 “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:24.680 And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look 00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:28.920 on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:34.400 but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:39.080 and no razor will ever be used on his head.’ 00:17:39.080 --> 00:17:44.880 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:50.240 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:53.720 but her voice was not heard.” 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:57.640 You see, when Hannah came before the Lord, 00:17:57.640 --> 00:18:04.040 she was not known for her fancy prayer points or eloquent speech. 00:18:04.040 --> 00:18:06.840 She did not employ any special prayer techniques. 00:18:06.840 --> 00:18:16.280 No! She came before the Lord and cried because that was where she was at. 00:18:16.280 --> 00:18:26.200 But Hannah's tears were like liquid words, and God could read them all. 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:32.440 As it says in Psalm 38:9, 00:18:32.440 --> 00:18:39.320 ‘All my longings lie open before You, Lord. My sighing is not hidden from You.’ 00:18:39.320 --> 00:18:45.840 This goes to show that the Lord understands the language of tears, 00:18:45.840 --> 00:18:52.200 sighs, groans and earnest heart desires. 00:18:52.200 --> 00:18:57.600 He understands because He sees your heart, not your outward posture, 00:18:57.600 --> 00:19:02.200 not your eloquent speech or the tone of your voice. 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:05.440 You see, many people go to church today and pray loud prayers, 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:09.520 but only the Lord knows the heart. 00:19:09.520 --> 00:19:15.800 Or whether they're just there to connect with people after the service for selfish gain. 00:19:15.800 --> 00:19:21.560 Remember, there is no special formula for receiving answer to prayer. 00:19:21.560 --> 00:19:24.520 Only faith pleases God. 00:19:24.520 --> 00:19:28.720 So whether you cry aloud like Blind Bartimaeus 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:33.520 or you cry silently like Hannah in Shiloh, 00:19:33.520 --> 00:19:40.360 or whether you sit quietly before your mountain like the man at the pool of Bethesda, 00:19:40.360 --> 00:19:47.480 one thing is clear - if your action is genuine, the Holy Spirit will affect it. 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:50.720 So come as you are. God see your heart. 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:53.360 He sees your faith. 00:19:53.360 --> 00:19:57.960 Let us read what happened next in 1 Samuel 1:17. 00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:04.240 “Eli answered, ‘Go in peace, and may the God of Israel 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:07.320 grant you what you have asked of Him.’ 00:20:07.320 --> 00:20:10.720 She said, ‘May your servant find favour in your eyes.’ 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:17.640 Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.” 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:23.560 Why? Because she took that Word of God from Eli, the priest, to heart 00:20:23.560 --> 00:20:29.080 and trusted in God's promises, knowing that God would make it good. 00:20:29.080 --> 00:20:34.480 1 Samuel 1:19 - “Early the next morning they arose and worshipped before the Lord 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:37.240 and then went back to their home at Ramah. 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:42.880 Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:49.960 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. 00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:57.080 She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him.’ 00:20:57.080 --> 00:21:04.880 Wow! You know, the Bible here does not tell us how long that ‘course of time’ was. 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:08.800 But Hannah was strengthened by God's Word. 00:21:08.800 --> 00:21:11.480 She had a look of faith to God's Word. 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:16.320 She took that Word to heart, and that gave her the strength 00:21:16.320 --> 00:21:22.080 to endure that course of time, knowing that God was in the process 00:21:22.080 --> 00:21:26.800 of changing that barrenness to fruitfulness. 00:21:26.800 --> 00:21:30.880 This goes to show that there's two types of waiting - 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:35.320 waiting in faith and waiting by sight. 00:21:35.320 --> 00:21:43.680 Those who wait by sight say, ‘I will not believe it until I feel or see it.’ 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:51.160 But those who wait in faith say, ‘If God has said it, I will believe it, 00:21:51.160 --> 00:22:00.480 even if I don't feel or see it - because I am not ruled by my senses but I act on God’s Word.’ 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:04.360 Those who wait by sight wait in doubt. 00:22:04.360 --> 00:22:07.520 They are overwhelmed by their circumstances. 00:22:07.520 --> 00:22:11.000 They are easily disturbed at the slightest provocation 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:16.920 because they are ruled by their senses and what their situation has to say. 00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:19.800 If Hannah had waited by sight, 00:22:19.800 --> 00:22:22.720 she would have become overwhelmed by her situation. 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:27.600 She would have left the house of God in anger and frustration. 00:22:27.600 --> 00:22:31.520 But instead she took hold of God's Word, 00:22:31.520 --> 00:22:36.760 believing that everything would be beautiful in God's time. 00:22:36.760 --> 00:22:44.320 And when Samuel finally came, she was ready to give him up to the Lord. 00:22:44.320 --> 00:22:51.440 Because that process of waiting was to mature her. 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:54.040 It was to increase her prayer life. 00:22:54.040 --> 00:22:58.600 It was to shift her relationship with God to another level. 00:22:58.600 --> 00:23:04.360 Let us see what happened when Samuel finally came in 1 Samuel 1:27. 00:23:04.360 --> 00:23:10.320 “She said, ‘I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. 00:23:10.320 --> 00:23:12.640 So now I give him to the Lord. 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:18.640 For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.’ And he worshipped the Lord there.” 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:22.200 She had no problem giving Samuel up to the Lord. 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:28.120 In fact, it was her delight, knowing that what comes from God goes to Him. 00:23:28.120 --> 00:23:30.840 All she was doing was giving back 00:23:30.840 --> 00:23:35.400 what had been borrowed to her from God's generous hand. 00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:37.680 What an example of faith. 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:45.040 What an example of responsible use of blessing. 00:23:45.040 --> 00:23:48.000 What are you praying for today? 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:51.040 When you receive that answer to prayer, 00:23:51.040 --> 00:23:54.800 have you thought about how you will glorify God with that? 00:23:54.800 --> 00:23:59.160 I mean, when you finally have that thing you have been praying for - 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:03.760 that good health, that breakthrough, that blessing, that marriage, that child - 00:24:03.760 --> 00:24:06.400 will use those blessings to honour God? 00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:11.200 Will you testify to God's goodness like Hannah did? 00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:18.400 Finally, do not misinterpret God's silence as rejection. 00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:22.840 Sometimes God allows us to pass through hard times 00:24:22.840 --> 00:24:25.720 in order to reveal His purpose in our lives. 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:32.280 You see, when God is executing His plan in our lives, He designs and arranges events 00:24:32.280 --> 00:24:37.480 that continue to unfold until His purpose is revealed. 00:24:37.480 --> 00:24:39.160 Delay is not ‘denied’. 00:24:39.160 --> 00:24:43.960 What could be the purpose of the seeming delay in your own life today? 00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:46.960 Perhaps it is to prepare you. 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:49.520 Perhaps it is to equip you. 00:24:49.520 --> 00:24:55.320 Perhaps it is to mature you, to make you that man or woman of faith. 00:24:55.320 --> 00:24:58.400 You see, if Hannah had had a child sooner, 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:01.960 she may not have had the great prophet Samuel. 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:07.080 She was not going to be the mother of any ordinary child, 00:25:07.080 --> 00:25:09.040 but the mother of a prophet. 00:25:09.040 --> 00:25:15.400 Therefore, that delay empowered her, equipped her and drew her closer to God. 00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:18.720 God wants you to come before Him with the situation, 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:22.480 but He wants to use your situation. 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:27.800 He wants to use your challenge, your sickness, whatever your barrenness looks like today, 00:25:27.800 --> 00:25:32.560 to shift your relationship with God to another level. 00:25:32.560 --> 00:25:38.440 Hannah's seeming failure in the natural was her set up for success. 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:41.000 It was the build up to her breakthrough. 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:47.640 It was the positioning that was to propel her towards her future success. 00:25:47.640 --> 00:25:54.960 Prophet T.B. Joshua said, “When we accept adversity, enduring every pain, 00:25:54.960 --> 00:26:03.280 then we will learn what we should know; our grief will turn to gain.” 00:26:03.280 --> 00:26:07.160 So let me leave you with this question now. 00:26:07.160 --> 00:26:15.520 Are you ready to receive your own Samuel in God's way and in God's time? 00:26:15.520 --> 00:26:21.760 Well, if you are, don’t base your faith on your immediate improvement after prayer. 00:26:21.760 --> 00:26:29.840 Value the process, draw on God’s resources and like Hannah, you too will see 00:26:29.840 --> 00:26:34.440 that everything is beautiful in God's time.