If you would
please stand with us
00:00:32.43\00:00:34.23
as we do our last song
00:00:34.26\00:00:35.96
which is gonna
be our theme song.
00:00:36.00\00:00:38.47
There's a lost, lonely soul
00:00:48.61\00:00:51.71
Waiting silent at war
00:00:51.75\00:00:54.62
For a rescue To come to the door
00:00:54.65\00:01:00.86
Many could go but I only know
00:01:00.89\00:01:05.86
The name of that One lonely soul
00:01:05.89\00:01:10.80
Oh can you hear
00:01:10.83\00:01:13.00
Our Prince calling on before
00:01:13.03\00:01:16.94
"Let us go and restore
00:01:16.97\00:01:21.98
The broken hearted
00:01:22.01\00:01:24.11
The wounded The captives of war
00:01:24.15\00:01:29.28
Will you bear
00:01:29.32\00:01:31.02
My shield of faith once more?"
00:01:31.05\00:01:35.99
Many more are the souls
00:01:36.02\00:01:40.00
Who are bound up in fear
00:01:40.03\00:01:42.96
As they run through
00:01:43.00\00:01:44.73
The dark far and near
00:01:44.77\00:01:47.37
Though I will fight
00:01:47.40\00:01:49.54
Just one ends the night
00:01:49.57\00:01:52.71
Our Prince Who carries the light
00:01:52.74\00:01:57.41
Oh can you hear
00:01:57.45\00:01:59.55
Our Prince calling on before
00:01:59.58\00:02:03.69
"Let us go and restore
00:02:03.72\00:02:08.52
The broken hearted
00:02:08.56\00:02:10.86
The wounded The captives of war
00:02:10.89\00:02:15.93
Will you bear MY
shield of faith once more?"
00:02:15.96\00:02:21.70
To that lost lonely
soul I will go and will share
00:02:21.74\00:02:27.54
All their cries, All their fears
00:02:27.58\00:02:30.45
All their prayers
00:02:30.48\00:02:33.88
For it's been told
My Prince he does hold
00:02:33.92\00:02:38.95
The tears of
that One lonely soul
00:02:38.99\00:02:43.66
Oh can you hear Our
Prince calling on before
00:02:43.69\00:02:49.76
"Let us go and restore
00:02:49.80\00:02:55.04
The broken hearted
00:02:55.07\00:02:56.77
The wounded The captives of war
00:02:56.81\00:03:02.14
Will you bear My
shield of faith once more?"
00:03:02.18\00:03:07.62
Thank you for singing with us.
00:03:11.05\00:03:14.66
Good morning, GYC.
00:03:14.69\00:03:18.09
Welcome to our
morning devotional.
00:03:18.13\00:03:20.26
We're so glad you can be here.
00:03:20.30\00:03:21.73
How many of you were blessed
00:03:21.76\00:03:23.10
by the prayer room this morning?
00:03:23.13\00:03:25.40
The prayer room
was packed, wasn't it?
00:03:25.43\00:03:28.07
It is one of the
biggest blessings
00:03:28.10\00:03:29.80
that we have every
year, and I'm so glad to be
00:03:29.84\00:03:33.01
able to
participate in that as well.
00:03:33.04\00:03:35.58
This morning our
scripture reading
00:03:35.61\00:03:37.28
is found in 1
Samuel 1:15 and 16.
00:03:37.31\00:03:43.62
1 Samuel 1:15 and 16,
and it reads as follows.
00:03:43.65\00:03:48.76
"The Hannah answered and said,
00:03:48.79\00:03:51.46
'No, my Lord,
00:03:51.49\00:03:52.93
I'm a woman of sorrowful spirit.
00:03:52.96\00:03:55.26
I have drunk neither
wine nor intoxicating drink,
00:03:55.30\00:03:58.50
but have poured out
my soul before the Lord,
00:03:58.53\00:04:01.34
do not consider
your maid servants
00:04:01.37\00:04:03.07
a wicked woman,
00:04:03.10\00:04:04.44
for out of the
abundance of my complaints
00:04:04.47\00:04:06.64
and grief have I
spoken until now.'"
00:04:06.68\00:04:10.75
Our message this
morning will be brought
00:04:10.78\00:04:12.58
by my friend Sikhu Daco.
00:04:12.61\00:04:14.85
I remember working with
Sikhu a number of years ago.
00:04:14.88\00:04:17.35
When I first got
involved with GYC,
00:04:17.39\00:04:19.35
Sikhu Daco had already
been working with GYC for years.
00:04:19.39\00:04:22.49
And I remember she
was one of those people
00:04:22.52\00:04:24.63
who just always had a smile,
00:04:24.66\00:04:26.16
who's always enthusiastic
and excited to be doing
00:04:26.19\00:04:29.50
what she was doing.
00:04:29.53\00:04:30.87
And I remember she
would stay up late at night
00:04:30.90\00:04:32.93
just trying to get
those final details done
00:04:32.97\00:04:35.27
and just one of the most
dedicated people you will meet.
00:04:35.30\00:04:38.67
She's now a
mother of three children.
00:04:38.71\00:04:40.44
And I'm sure she'll
tell you more about that.
00:04:40.48\00:04:42.58
But she works
00:04:42.61\00:04:43.95
with the General Conference
Cyber School Department
00:04:43.98\00:04:45.78
as the senior
editorial assistant
00:04:45.81\00:04:48.25
for the Inverse Study Guide,
00:04:48.28\00:04:50.59
which is the new
young adults study guide
00:04:50.62\00:04:52.89
that you'll be learning more
00:04:52.92\00:04:54.26
about actually
closer to the Sabbath.
00:04:54.29\00:04:56.73
So I invite you to
open your hearts and minds
00:04:56.76\00:04:59.96
as she shares and
I'll open with prayer
00:05:00.00\00:05:02.86
as we continue into our program.
00:05:02.90\00:05:05.80
Father in heaven, Lord,
00:05:05.83\00:05:07.17
we thank You for the opportunity
00:05:07.20\00:05:08.54
to gather here this
morning early as it is,
00:05:08.57\00:05:12.17
and to spend this time
studying and reading Your Word.
00:05:12.21\00:05:16.38
Lord, we pray that
You would be with Sikhu
00:05:16.41\00:05:18.18
that you would
bless the word she speaks,
00:05:18.21\00:05:20.38
and You would send Your presence
00:05:20.42\00:05:21.75
to be with us today.
00:05:21.78\00:05:23.15
Give us the
strength and the energy,
00:05:23.18\00:05:25.05
and we thank You for
Your blessings thus far.
00:05:25.09\00:05:27.36
In Jesus' name, amen.
00:05:27.39\00:05:29.32
Morning, GYC?
00:10:27.49\00:10:30.96
Can I say Happy New Year too?
00:10:30.99\00:10:33.43
Happy New Year, 2020,
who thought we would be here?
00:10:33.46\00:10:37.97
Does anyone remember 2000
00:10:38.00\00:10:40.00
those who are old
enough to remember.
00:10:40.04\00:10:41.94
Yeah.
00:10:41.97\00:10:43.81
I remember when that
happened, it was like,
00:10:43.84\00:10:45.51
we will never get to
2020 and here we are.
00:10:45.54\00:10:48.58
The sad part is, I
think for a lot of us,
00:10:48.61\00:10:51.11
we felt like 2020 won't get here
00:10:51.15\00:10:52.91
because Jesus will be
here before then, right?
00:10:52.95\00:10:56.42
But the glad
part is, if it's 2020,
00:10:56.45\00:10:59.45
His coming was soon
then, it's even sooner now.
00:10:59.49\00:11:02.16
Amen?
00:11:02.19\00:11:04.29
This morning we're going
to read the Bible together.
00:11:04.33\00:11:08.00
If you have your Bibles
turn to 1 Samuel Chapter 1.
00:11:08.03\00:11:13.47
If you have your
Bible on a phone,
00:11:13.50\00:11:15.30
you can tap
00:11:15.34\00:11:19.64
to 1 Samuel Chapter 1.
00:11:19.67\00:11:22.51
We're just gonna read
the Bible this morning
00:11:22.54\00:11:24.58
and make some
observations and pray that
00:11:24.61\00:11:26.58
the Holy Spirit will
teach us from His Word.
00:11:26.61\00:11:30.35
Before I pray
though, I promised my son
00:11:30.39\00:11:33.76
who is in Zimbabwe
with his grandparents
00:11:33.79\00:11:35.56
that I would say
good morning to him.
00:11:35.59\00:11:37.26
So, Itai, good morning.
00:11:37.29\00:11:39.93
I love you. Okay.
00:11:39.96\00:11:42.60
All right, now we can start.
00:11:42.63\00:11:44.73
1 Samuel Chapter 1,
00:11:44.77\00:11:46.10
bow your heads
with me as we pray.
00:11:46.13\00:11:49.30
Loving Father, we
would like to thank You
00:11:49.34\00:11:52.11
for the gift of life.
00:11:52.14\00:11:54.01
And we'd like to ask that
You would be our teacher now.
00:11:54.04\00:11:56.01
Lord, you know that
00:11:56.04\00:11:57.38
I have nothing worthwhile to say
00:11:57.41\00:11:59.11
but we trust
that the Holy Spirit
00:11:59.15\00:12:01.18
can speak to our hearts
through the Word of God,
00:12:01.22\00:12:03.99
I ask that I would be
hidden behind the cross
00:12:04.02\00:12:06.05
if there's anything in me
00:12:06.09\00:12:07.49
that could hinder the
impartation of this message
00:12:07.52\00:12:10.23
in a clear way that
you would remove that
00:12:10.26\00:12:12.29
because we want to
hear Your Word today
00:12:12.33\00:12:14.73
and we want to
see Jesus lifted up.
00:12:14.76\00:12:17.00
So help us as
we study Your Word,
00:12:17.03\00:12:19.33
to be focused on what Your Word
has to say to us this morning,
00:12:19.37\00:12:23.51
in Your name we pray, amen.
00:12:23.54\00:12:25.67
1 Samuel Chapter 1,
we're reading from verse 1.
00:12:25.71\00:12:28.74
"Now, there was a certain man
00:12:28.78\00:12:31.41
of Ramathaim
Zophim of Mount Ephraim,
00:12:31.45\00:12:38.05
and his name was
Elkanah, the son of Jeroham,
00:12:38.09\00:12:41.26
the son of
Elihu, the son of Tohu,
00:12:41.29\00:12:43.22
the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
00:12:43.26\00:12:45.53
And he had two wives, the
name of the one was Hannah.
00:12:45.56\00:12:48.26
The name of the other, Peninnah.
00:12:48.30\00:12:49.86
And Peninnah had children,
but Hannah had no children.
00:12:49.90\00:12:53.20
And this man went
up out of the city,
00:12:53.23\00:12:55.50
out of his city
yearly to worship
00:12:55.54\00:12:57.14
and to sacrifice unto
the Lord of hosts in Shiloh.
00:12:57.17\00:13:00.21
And the two sons of
Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
00:13:00.24\00:13:03.14
the priests of
the Lord were there.
00:13:03.18\00:13:05.35
And when the time
was that Elkanah offered,
00:13:05.38\00:13:08.28
he gave to Peninnah his wife
00:13:08.32\00:13:10.22
and to all her sons and
her daughters' portions,
00:13:10.25\00:13:13.02
but unto Hannah,
00:13:13.05\00:13:14.52
he gave a worthy
portion, for he loved Hannah,
00:13:14.56\00:13:17.89
but the Lord had
shut up her womb."
00:13:17.93\00:13:19.96
Let's pause there,
00:13:20.00\00:13:21.66
and we're going to
backtrack and read analytically.
00:13:21.70\00:13:24.97
Let's start back in verse 5.
00:13:25.00\00:13:26.53
It says that,
"Unto Hannah, he..."
00:13:26.57\00:13:30.47
meaning Elkanah, "he
gave a worthy portion
00:13:30.51\00:13:34.04
when it was time
to offer sacrifice
00:13:34.08\00:13:35.51
for he loved Hannah."
00:13:35.54\00:13:38.48
We learned
something about Elkanah,
00:13:38.51\00:13:39.95
and in these first five verses,
00:13:39.98\00:13:41.72
1 Samuel
introduces Elkanah to us
00:13:41.75\00:13:43.95
and the first thing
we're going to look at,
00:13:43.99\00:13:46.12
since we're
backtracking from here is that
00:13:46.15\00:13:47.89
Elkanah was a loving husband.
00:13:47.92\00:13:50.86
He says that he loved Hannah.
00:13:50.89\00:13:56.26
And he loved
Hannah, in spite of the fact
00:13:56.30\00:13:58.23
that the Lord
had shut up her womb.
00:13:58.27\00:13:59.67
This is significant
because, you know, back then,
00:13:59.70\00:14:03.34
to have children was a
very, very important thing.
00:14:03.37\00:14:07.04
And here you have a
man married to this woman,
00:14:07.08\00:14:09.34
and she was unable to
bear children for him.
00:14:09.38\00:14:12.48
But in spite of her inadequacy,
00:14:12.51\00:14:14.82
so to speak, it
says that he loved her,
00:14:14.85\00:14:17.99
because he
could have loathed her
00:14:18.02\00:14:19.95
because she was unable
to bear children for him.
00:14:19.99\00:14:22.59
But the Bible says
that he loved Hannah.
00:14:22.62\00:14:24.99
And this is a beautiful picture
00:14:25.03\00:14:26.36
of what a lot of us
are looking for in love.
00:14:26.39\00:14:28.96
Like if you're thinking about
getting into a relationship,
00:14:29.00\00:14:32.17
you're like, I want somebody
00:14:32.20\00:14:33.54
who's gonna
love me for me, amen?
00:14:33.57\00:14:36.37
You're like, I want a
guy who's not gonna see
00:14:36.40\00:14:38.71
how gorgeous I am only,
00:14:38.74\00:14:42.71
but will love my
heart, right girls?
00:14:42.74\00:14:45.08
Right? Yeah.
00:14:45.11\00:14:46.45
And guys, you're like,
00:14:46.48\00:14:47.82
I want a woman
who's not just gonna see
00:14:47.85\00:14:49.18
my fat wallet or lack thereof.
00:14:49.22\00:14:52.32
I want a woman
00:14:52.35\00:14:53.69
who's gonna
love me for who I am.
00:14:53.72\00:14:56.66
And this is something
00:14:56.69\00:14:58.03
we're looking
for in relationship.
00:14:58.06\00:14:59.39
So this is the
picture of romance, right?
00:14:59.43\00:15:03.70
This is a romantic guy.
00:15:03.73\00:15:05.43
He's like even though
you cannot have children,
00:15:05.47\00:15:08.24
I love you and
not just love you.
00:15:08.27\00:15:10.47
I love you as
if you had children
00:15:10.51\00:15:12.37
because it says he
gave her a double portion.
00:15:12.41\00:15:14.54
So when the God sacrificed,
it was as if she had children
00:15:14.58\00:15:17.55
when he gave her, her portion.
00:15:17.58\00:15:20.12
He loved her so much.
00:15:20.15\00:15:21.58
Verse 4, it says,
00:15:21.62\00:15:23.18
"When the time was
that Elkanah offered,
00:15:23.22\00:15:25.65
he gave to Peninnah his wife."
00:15:25.69\00:15:27.82
In verse 3, it says,
00:15:27.86\00:15:29.72
"The man went up out
of his city, yearly."
00:15:29.76\00:15:33.93
So firstly, in verse 4,
00:15:33.96\00:15:36.67
we find that he
gave to Peninnah,
00:15:36.70\00:15:38.50
who had a bunch of children,
00:15:38.53\00:15:40.84
he didn't just
give her a portion,
00:15:40.87\00:15:42.60
he gave her a portion
and her children portions.
00:15:42.64\00:15:45.84
This means that he
was a man of means.
00:15:45.87\00:15:48.98
He had money.
00:15:49.01\00:15:50.75
Well, the equivalent
thereof in his day, right?
00:15:50.78\00:15:55.02
He was loaded, he was rich.
00:15:55.05\00:15:59.15
This is the picture of romance.
00:15:59.19\00:16:02.76
A man who not only loves you,
00:16:02.79\00:16:06.43
but, you know, he can
show you that he loves you.
00:16:06.46\00:16:10.90
And I'm being silly
right now, tongue in cheek,
00:16:10.93\00:16:13.80
because you don't
have to have money
00:16:13.84\00:16:15.17
to show a woman you love her.
00:16:15.20\00:16:16.54
Amen? Amen. Yeah.
00:16:16.57\00:16:18.51
But, you know,
when I was talking
00:16:18.54\00:16:19.97
to a certain young
woman who shall go unnamed,
00:16:20.01\00:16:23.18
so I don't embarrass
her, but she was like,
00:16:23.21\00:16:25.38
you're going to GYC,
you're gonna be on stage,
00:16:25.41\00:16:26.98
can you make an announcement
00:16:27.02\00:16:29.38
that I'm looking
for a man, right?
00:16:29.42\00:16:33.32
And give,
announced my phone number.
00:16:33.36\00:16:35.66
They can WhatsApp me.
00:16:35.69\00:16:38.13
I think she was joking.
00:16:38.16\00:16:40.86
I'll check with
her, and if she wasn't,
00:16:40.90\00:16:42.53
I'll give you
her number tomorrow.
00:16:42.56\00:16:45.27
But I said, so my
husband followed up and he said,
00:16:45.30\00:16:47.70
"What are you looking for?"
00:16:47.74\00:16:49.07
She's like, "You know what,
as long as he loves the Lord,
00:16:49.10\00:16:52.87
and he's got money.
00:16:52.91\00:16:54.68
It's good."
00:16:54.71\00:16:56.44
I don't care about
the height no more.
00:16:56.48\00:16:58.21
I'm at that stage
00:16:58.25\00:16:59.58
where the height
doesn't matter anymore."
00:16:59.61\00:17:02.88
Like he can be
short and fat and bald.
00:17:02.92\00:17:05.45
And I love him.
00:17:05.49\00:17:07.56
If he got the money,
and he loves the Lord,
00:17:07.59\00:17:09.66
and that's what this...
00:17:09.69\00:17:11.03
Elkanah loved the Lord?
00:17:11.06\00:17:12.59
In verse 3, it
says, "This man went up
00:17:12.63\00:17:14.43
out of his city yearly
to worship and sacrifice
00:17:14.46\00:17:16.93
unto the Lord."
00:17:16.97\00:17:18.30
And the Bible puts
an important note here.
00:17:18.33\00:17:21.60
It says that
the two sons of Eli,
00:17:21.64\00:17:24.27
Hophni and Phinehas,
00:17:24.31\00:17:25.64
the priests of
the Lord were there.
00:17:25.67\00:17:27.01
Why does it say that?
00:17:27.04\00:17:28.38
He says that because Hophni
and Phinehas were notorious.
00:17:28.41\00:17:32.01
These men did not love the Lord.
00:17:32.05\00:17:35.28
They were serving as
priests of God in the temple,
00:17:35.32\00:17:38.39
but they were corrupt priests.
00:17:38.42\00:17:43.29
Actually, it
tells us in Chapter 2,
00:17:43.32\00:17:44.93
I'm gonna say it now
because I don't have time
00:17:44.96\00:17:46.63
to say it in the
future, that they were so bad
00:17:46.66\00:17:49.26
that they made it
00:17:49.30\00:17:50.63
so people did not
want to go to the temple.
00:17:50.67\00:17:53.44
You know,
those, those Christians
00:17:53.47\00:17:55.87
who they're just so
evil, they're wicked,
00:17:55.90\00:17:58.64
that they make it
00:17:58.67\00:18:00.01
so you don't even
want to go to church.
00:18:00.04\00:18:02.64
You're just like, I mean,
00:18:02.68\00:18:04.01
if this is the
church, I'm out of here.
00:18:04.05\00:18:06.92
Matter of fact, I
have a friend of mine,
00:18:06.95\00:18:08.28
a good friend of mine,
00:18:08.32\00:18:09.95
from when I was a student
at an Adventist institution,
00:18:09.98\00:18:14.86
I'm not trying to
embarrass no institutions here,
00:18:14.89\00:18:16.73
but it's just the fact that
00:18:16.76\00:18:18.36
he left Adventism, Christianity,
00:18:18.39\00:18:23.16
he would proclaim
himself to be an atheist.
00:18:23.20\00:18:26.47
And you know where it began?
00:18:26.50\00:18:28.74
Was, he said,
00:18:28.77\00:18:30.11
"If this is the
picture of Christianity
00:18:30.14\00:18:32.24
that I'm seeing
in my professor,"
00:18:32.27\00:18:34.94
who had
mistreated him in a class.
00:18:34.98\00:18:37.15
He said, "If this is
the picture of Christianity,
00:18:37.18\00:18:39.45
if this is Adventism
at its best, I'm out."
00:18:39.48\00:18:42.45
Now, our faith shouldn't
be based on people, right?
00:18:45.62\00:18:48.69
My faith shouldn't be
00:18:48.72\00:18:50.06
based on the
person next to me and,
00:18:50.09\00:18:51.66
you know, how
they're representing Christ,
00:18:51.69\00:18:54.86
but it does affect people,
the way we represent Christ.
00:18:54.90\00:18:59.07
And these men were
not just churchgoers,
00:18:59.10\00:19:01.60
Hophni and Phinehas,
00:19:01.64\00:19:02.97
they were leaders in the church.
00:19:03.00\00:19:05.57
But this is how
faithful Elkanah was.
00:19:05.61\00:19:08.24
Even if his
pastor was a hot mess,
00:19:08.28\00:19:13.62
he was going to church anyway.
00:19:13.65\00:19:16.02
Even if the head
elder was getting up
00:19:16.05\00:19:19.25
and speaking all
kinds of nonsense,
00:19:19.29\00:19:20.62
he was like,
"I'm here for Jesus.
00:19:20.66\00:19:23.32
I'm not here for you."
00:19:23.36\00:19:24.79
That is what kind of
a godly man Elkanah was.
00:19:24.83\00:19:28.80
He had the trifactor.
00:19:28.83\00:19:30.90
He was godly.
00:19:30.93\00:19:32.70
He was loaded.
00:19:32.73\00:19:34.27
And he loved his woman.
00:19:34.30\00:19:35.64
But go with me to
verse 2, I love scripture.
00:19:39.27\00:19:42.94
The Bible is that book
that doesn't sugarcoat stuff,
00:19:42.98\00:19:45.38
and it presents characters
in the multitudinous facets
00:19:45.41\00:19:50.09
that humanity exists.
00:19:50.12\00:19:51.45
And sometimes we like to
do things black and white.
00:19:51.49\00:19:53.66
You know, we're like,
00:19:53.69\00:19:55.02
either you're good
or you're bad, right?
00:19:55.06\00:19:56.93
Either you're with us or
you're not with us and yes,
00:19:56.96\00:20:00.36
with us and against us and
things are black and white.
00:20:00.40\00:20:02.73
But aren't humans complex?
00:20:02.76\00:20:05.90
So you have this
guy who loves his wife,
00:20:05.93\00:20:08.84
he gives money to his wife.
00:20:08.87\00:20:11.01
He gives her the resources.
00:20:11.04\00:20:12.37
He shares his wealth with her.
00:20:12.41\00:20:13.88
And he's a godly man.
00:20:13.91\00:20:15.68
He goes to the temple faithfully
00:20:15.71\00:20:17.41
even when others have
stopped going to church.
00:20:17.45\00:20:19.85
He's still
going, but in verse 2,
00:20:19.88\00:20:21.92
this man made a mistake.
00:20:21.95\00:20:24.19
It says, "He had two wives.
00:20:24.22\00:20:26.69
The name of the one was Hannah,
the name of the other Peninnah
00:20:26.72\00:20:28.89
and Peninnah had children,
but Hannah had no children."
00:20:28.92\00:20:31.09
So apparently what happened was,
00:20:31.13\00:20:32.99
he married Hannah,
they're happy, they're happy,
00:20:33.03\00:20:37.27
no children, no
children, year after year.
00:20:37.30\00:20:42.34
And it's expected that
you're gonna have children
00:20:42.37\00:20:44.77
and the children are not coming,
00:20:44.81\00:20:46.47
who's gonna
carry on your legacy?
00:20:46.51\00:20:48.94
Who's gonna be Elkanah II.
00:20:48.98\00:20:52.35
And he just
wanted children so much
00:20:52.38\00:20:56.89
that he set aside
his love for his wife
00:20:56.92\00:20:59.79
and the commitment he
made to her before God,
00:20:59.82\00:21:02.42
and he got a second wife.
00:21:02.46\00:21:04.83
When we step outside of
God's will for our lives,
00:21:04.86\00:21:08.56
it's never without consequences.
00:21:08.60\00:21:11.33
Sometimes we feel like,
00:21:11.37\00:21:12.70
you know, I can do
this thing that's...
00:21:12.73\00:21:15.90
Make things
happen in my own way,
00:21:15.94\00:21:17.77
and we feel like it's
gonna be a benign thing
00:21:17.81\00:21:19.77
and it's never benign
00:21:19.81\00:21:21.51
because when we step
outside of God's will,
00:21:21.54\00:21:23.55
it will always have
negative consequences.
00:21:23.58\00:21:25.31
Because what happened was,
00:21:25.35\00:21:26.95
verse 6, "Her
adversary," this is Peninnah,
00:21:26.98\00:21:30.25
"also provoked her,
provoked Hannah sore,
00:21:30.29\00:21:33.66
for to make her fret,
00:21:33.69\00:21:35.26
because the Lord
had shut up her womb.
00:21:35.29\00:21:38.73
So Elkanah
marries the second wife
00:21:38.76\00:21:40.56
so he can have
children and the children come,
00:21:40.60\00:21:43.97
but also what comes
00:21:44.00\00:21:45.33
with Peninnah is
strife in his home.
00:21:45.37\00:21:50.57
I don't need to say this.
00:21:50.61\00:21:51.94
If you're going to get
married, marry one person, amen?
00:21:51.97\00:21:56.61
God knew what he was
talking about when He said that.
00:21:56.64\00:22:01.05
And here it is now
because of Elkanah's terrible,
00:22:01.08\00:22:05.72
terrible
mistrust of God's leading
00:22:05.75\00:22:09.12
that his wife is now
in a terrible situation.
00:22:09.16\00:22:12.99
She's fretting.
00:22:13.03\00:22:14.56
She's stressed, distressed.
00:22:14.60\00:22:19.17
Why do I say it
was mistrust of God?
00:22:19.20\00:22:21.57
The Bible says at
the end of verse 5,
00:22:21.60\00:22:23.77
at the end of verse 6,
00:22:23.81\00:22:25.17
it repeats, "The
Lord shut up her womb."
00:22:25.21\00:22:29.51
The Lord shut up her womb.
00:22:29.54\00:22:33.92
She was barren,
00:22:33.95\00:22:35.48
because God shut up her womb.
00:22:35.52\00:22:41.32
Is it possible that
you could experience
00:22:41.36\00:22:44.46
a negative experience
00:22:44.49\00:22:45.83
because God has
permitted that in your life?
00:22:45.86\00:22:50.63
And when the
barrenness comes in your life,
00:22:50.67\00:22:53.47
what do you do about it?
00:22:53.50\00:22:56.60
I mean, the Bible
here is talking about
00:22:56.64\00:22:58.51
physical barrenness,
she could not bear children.
00:22:58.54\00:23:02.01
What do you do
about that situation?
00:23:02.04\00:23:06.55
I'm gonna speak
to young people now,
00:23:06.58\00:23:08.28
the barrenness has come,
00:23:08.32\00:23:09.65
there's a drought in your life
00:23:09.68\00:23:11.02
and there are no
men/no women around.
00:23:11.05\00:23:15.29
What do you do
when the drought comes?
00:23:15.32\00:23:19.86
The barrenness
has come no matter
00:23:19.89\00:23:21.86
how hard you're
working, and you're like,
00:23:21.90\00:23:23.67
I want to be a millionaire by 25
00:23:23.70\00:23:25.70
and here you are 26 and
you're not a millionaire.
00:23:25.73\00:23:29.04
What do you do
00:23:29.07\00:23:30.41
when the
barrenness comes in your life?
00:23:30.44\00:23:34.74
For some of you
are not from America,
00:23:34.78\00:23:36.78
you're from other
parts of the world
00:23:36.81\00:23:38.71
where the
economics are much more
00:23:38.75\00:23:41.58
difficult than they are here.
00:23:41.62\00:23:43.35
And in order to
make a quick buck,
00:23:43.39\00:23:45.35
you might have to
do something that is...
00:23:45.39\00:23:51.26
What do you do when
the barrenness comes?
00:23:51.29\00:23:55.36
Elkanah, instead of
trusting the hand of God,
00:23:55.40\00:23:59.77
the hand that
gives only good gifts
00:23:59.80\00:24:02.50
so that you know that
even if it's barrenness,
00:24:02.54\00:24:04.54
this barrenness can
only be for my good.
00:24:04.57\00:24:06.57
Instead of trusting God's hand,
00:24:06.61\00:24:08.08
he took matters
into his own hands.
00:24:08.11\00:24:10.55
He should have known better.
00:24:10.58\00:24:12.65
You have the example of Abraham.
00:24:12.68\00:24:15.38
Remember Abraham?
00:24:15.42\00:24:17.89
God said, you're
gonna be a huge nation,
00:24:17.92\00:24:20.02
you're gonna have
all these descendants
00:24:20.06\00:24:22.46
and he is waiting
and waiting and waiting.
00:24:22.49\00:24:24.16
Yo, I'm 75 and
clocks are tickin',
00:24:24.19\00:24:27.26
God, what's happening?
00:24:27.30\00:24:29.23
And they took
matters into their own hands,
00:24:29.26\00:24:30.97
he and his wife.
00:24:31.00\00:24:32.57
But what happened? Drama, right?
00:24:32.60\00:24:35.40
Sarah and Hagar, drama?
00:24:35.44\00:24:38.61
They knew these stories,
00:24:38.64\00:24:39.97
Elkanah should
have known better.
00:24:40.01\00:24:43.18
But when the barrenness
00:24:43.21\00:24:44.55
came instead of waiting
on God and trusting Him,
00:24:44.58\00:24:47.38
he took matters
into his own hands.
00:24:47.42\00:24:49.02
I know he could have waited.
00:24:49.05\00:24:50.75
I know he could have
waited because we have a story
00:24:50.79\00:24:53.05
in the future of
someone that waited.
00:24:53.09\00:24:56.12
Zacharias and
Elizabeth, the barrenness came
00:24:56.16\00:25:01.76
and they waited, them too.
00:25:01.80\00:25:05.37
And when the time was right,
00:25:05.40\00:25:06.74
God opened her womb
in a miraculous way.
00:25:06.77\00:25:09.90
And it's a beautiful story
00:25:09.94\00:25:11.27
because the both of
them waited together.
00:25:11.31\00:25:15.41
What do you do when
the barrenness comes?
00:25:15.44\00:25:17.18
Are you Elkanah?
00:25:17.21\00:25:21.02
I know Hannah
was not in on this.
00:25:21.05\00:25:23.59
She wasn't in on this
plan to bring in Peninnah.
00:25:23.62\00:25:25.82
We know this because she prayed.
00:25:25.85\00:25:29.39
After this...
let's, let's keep reading.
00:25:29.42\00:25:32.39
Verse 7, "As he did so,
00:25:32.43\00:25:34.73
he's giving Hannah a
double portion year by year
00:25:34.76\00:25:38.50
when Hannah went to
the house of the Lord.
00:25:38.53\00:25:40.87
So Peninnah provoked Hannah."
00:25:40.90\00:25:44.44
And then it says,
00:25:44.47\00:25:45.81
"Therefore she
wept and did not eat."
00:25:45.84\00:25:48.04
Hannah was a strong woman.
00:25:48.08\00:25:49.81
Because when it
says year after year,
00:25:49.84\00:25:52.08
she held it together
00:25:52.11\00:25:53.45
and she pulled
herself together and was like,
00:25:53.48\00:25:55.28
"Okay, Hannah, you got this.
00:25:55.32\00:25:56.85
Let's go."
00:25:56.89\00:25:58.22
Finally, after years,
one year after another
00:25:58.25\00:26:01.66
of being provoked
of the same thing,
00:26:01.69\00:26:03.73
she finally broke
down and she was weeping.
00:26:03.76\00:26:06.83
She couldn't
hold it in any longer.
00:26:06.86\00:26:11.20
Elkanah, her husband
says to her, verse 8,
00:26:11.23\00:26:13.80
"Why are you crying?
00:26:13.84\00:26:16.27
Why aren't you eating?
00:26:16.30\00:26:17.97
And why is your heart grieved?
00:26:18.01\00:26:20.24
Am not I better to
thee than 10 sons?"
00:26:20.28\00:26:22.68
So I know I need prayer.
00:26:26.68\00:26:31.85
Because when I read this verse,
00:26:31.89\00:26:33.49
I was like, "If my
husband said that to me."
00:26:33.52\00:26:37.49
After he's the one who
went and got a Peninnah
00:26:37.53\00:26:42.66
because he...
00:26:42.70\00:26:44.03
I'm not better to
him than 10 sons, right?
00:26:44.07\00:26:46.40
But he should be
better to me than 10 sons.
00:26:46.43\00:26:48.70
He was gonna get a mouthful.
00:26:48.74\00:26:51.67
That would result in an earful.
00:26:51.71\00:26:54.44
And we'll never say
anything like that again, right?
00:26:54.48\00:26:58.51
This is like
kind of romantic like,
00:26:58.55\00:27:00.68
"Am I not worth more
to you than 10 sons?"
00:27:00.72\00:27:03.25
And not at the same time.
00:27:03.28\00:27:05.82
Like, no, dude.
00:27:05.85\00:27:07.52
I'm not worth more
to you than 10 sons,
00:27:07.56\00:27:09.46
therefore I am crying.
00:27:09.49\00:27:14.86
But Hannah was a godly
woman and I need prayer.
00:27:14.90\00:27:20.04
Because it says in verse 9,
00:27:20.07\00:27:21.40
"Hannah rose up after
they had eaten in Shiloh,
00:27:21.44\00:27:23.91
after they're drunk."
00:27:23.94\00:27:26.07
In verse 10, "She was
in bitterness of soul,
00:27:26.11\00:27:28.94
prayed unto the
Lord and wept sore."
00:27:28.98\00:27:33.52
Now when
situations come in my life
00:27:33.55\00:27:34.95
and people be acting crazy.
00:27:34.98\00:27:38.09
One of the things
that I naturally do,
00:27:38.12\00:27:40.26
this is confession time,
I like message my sisters
00:27:40.29\00:27:45.66
and be like,
"This is what happened.
00:27:45.69\00:27:48.93
Can you believe?
00:27:48.96\00:27:52.57
Or you know, you
call up your girlfriends
00:27:52.60\00:27:54.04
and you're like, "You
know what happened was..."
00:27:54.07\00:27:58.04
And it's like, I
cannot believe...
00:27:58.07\00:27:59.51
Can you believe...
00:27:59.54\00:28:00.91
"Elkanah would say that to you?"
00:28:00.94\00:28:02.88
"I know, right?"
00:28:02.91\00:28:04.25
Like that is so crazy,
like, "Girl, I'm so sorry."
00:28:04.28\00:28:07.42
Like, "I know."
00:28:07.45\00:28:09.45
It's kind of instinctive
to call up your girlfriend.
00:28:09.48\00:28:14.79
And I know men do it too,
not call up your girlfriend,
00:28:14.82\00:28:16.73
you call up your boys,
00:28:16.76\00:28:18.19
call up your boy and be like,
00:28:18.23\00:28:19.56
"Man, like, you know what, man."
00:28:19.59\00:28:23.10
Man...
00:28:23.13\00:28:26.47
Or, you know, in this generation
00:28:26.50\00:28:27.84
what's easier to do is
we take to social media.
00:28:27.87\00:28:32.51
And we post it as
our Facebook status
00:28:32.54\00:28:35.98
or we tweet it on Twitter.
00:28:36.01\00:28:40.48
And I want to say this,
00:28:40.52\00:28:42.48
it's almost like we
live in a generation
00:28:42.52\00:28:44.39
that encourages complaining.
00:28:44.42\00:28:46.82
Because I was
on a flight, right?
00:28:46.86\00:28:48.82
I went on this flight
00:28:48.86\00:28:51.29
and I didn't like
what happened on the flight
00:28:51.33\00:28:54.20
the way that I was treated.
00:28:54.23\00:28:55.56
So I went on Twitter.
00:28:55.60\00:28:57.40
And I tweeted and
tagged the airline, right?
00:28:57.43\00:29:01.40
And they responded,
00:29:01.44\00:29:02.84
and then eventually I
got like a free ticket.
00:29:02.87\00:29:06.91
So I'm like, I'm gonna
00:29:06.94\00:29:08.28
always complain if I
don't like the experience.
00:29:08.31\00:29:12.01
It's like we're
encouraged to complain
00:29:12.05\00:29:13.38
because if you complain,
then you get stuff done.
00:29:13.42\00:29:15.98
You complain, you get perks.
00:29:16.02\00:29:18.72
But Hannah did
not go to her friends
00:29:18.75\00:29:22.29
or take to social
media and complain.
00:29:22.32\00:29:26.56
What has happened
to us as Christians?
00:29:26.59\00:29:30.67
Instead of talking to Jesus,
about the situation, like look,
00:29:30.70\00:29:35.30
I had a bad
situation on the flight.
00:29:35.34\00:29:37.54
The flight attendant
was rude or whatever.
00:29:37.57\00:29:40.18
Instead of praying and saying,
00:29:40.21\00:29:41.54
Lord, what's going
on with that woman?
00:29:41.58\00:29:44.75
Can you intervene in her life?
00:29:44.78\00:29:47.52
Help her out because
she treated me like dirt.
00:29:47.55\00:29:51.39
Instead of
talking to Jesus about it,
00:29:51.42\00:29:53.05
I'm straight up on Twitter.
00:29:53.09\00:29:55.32
You know, bad
mouthing some flight attendant
00:29:55.36\00:29:57.79
whose name I don't even know.
00:29:57.83\00:30:00.80
We're complaining generation
00:30:00.83\00:30:03.10
instead of a praying generation.
00:30:03.13\00:30:07.20
Hannah didn't go
around complaining
00:30:07.24\00:30:09.00
about her situation she
could have but she didn't.
00:30:09.04\00:30:11.41
She took it to Jesus.
00:30:11.44\00:30:14.38
Are we talking to Jesus today?
00:30:14.41\00:30:17.35
Are we talking to Jesus
00:30:17.38\00:30:18.71
about the things that stress us,
00:30:18.75\00:30:20.08
the little
nuisances in our lives?
00:30:20.12\00:30:25.89
Over complaining,
00:30:25.92\00:30:28.02
before we talk to the one
who can do something about it.
00:30:28.06\00:30:31.73
It says that, "Hannah rose up,
she went in bitterness of soul,
00:30:31.76\00:30:35.36
she prayed to the
Lord and wept sore."
00:30:35.40\00:30:39.77
Verse 11, "And she vowed a
vow and said, O Lord of hosts,
00:30:39.80\00:30:42.90
if thou wilt indeed
look on the affliction
00:30:42.94\00:30:44.91
of thine handmaid,
00:30:44.94\00:30:46.27
and remember me and
not forget thine handmaid,
00:30:46.31\00:30:47.88
but wilt give unto
thine handmaid a manchild,
00:30:47.91\00:30:50.18
then I will give him to the Lord
00:30:50.21\00:30:51.58
all the days of his life,
00:30:51.61\00:30:53.01
and there shall no
razor come upon his head."
00:30:53.05\00:30:57.09
When we're praying
for God to bless us,
00:30:57.12\00:31:00.12
am I praying that,
Lord if you bless me,
00:31:00.16\00:31:03.12
I'm gonna return
this blessing to You.
00:31:03.16\00:31:05.59
I'm praying, Lord, I
need to get into the score
00:31:05.63\00:31:08.86
so that I can, you know,
00:31:08.90\00:31:10.57
be a student at Harvard
00:31:10.60\00:31:11.93
or I really need
to get into Andrews
00:31:11.97\00:31:14.14
and I need
financial aid, and that's it.
00:31:14.17\00:31:18.74
When I started
working in the States,
00:31:18.77\00:31:21.64
I was working on a
religious workers visa
00:31:21.68\00:31:25.31
which every year
00:31:25.35\00:31:27.02
I was going to
renew, renew, renew,
00:31:27.05\00:31:29.05
it's a tiring process.
00:31:29.08\00:31:30.42
It's stressful.
00:31:30.45\00:31:31.79
You don't know
if you're gonna be,
00:31:31.82\00:31:33.25
if you're gonna
get through or not,
00:31:33.29\00:31:34.89
if you're going
back home, like, it's...
00:31:34.92\00:31:36.26
you're just
like living in limbo,
00:31:36.29\00:31:37.73
and the time came when
my employer could apply
00:31:37.76\00:31:43.06
for a green card for me
and they did and I got it.
00:31:43.10\00:31:47.14
Now I remember when
I got my green card.
00:31:47.17\00:31:49.50
I was talking to a
mentor of mine and I said,
00:31:49.54\00:31:51.91
"Hallelujah, I
got my green card."
00:31:51.94\00:31:54.68
Now, you know,
00:31:54.71\00:31:56.21
I can stay here
without stressing,
00:31:56.24\00:31:58.05
I can go home
without stressing about
00:31:58.08\00:31:59.58
what's gonna happen?
00:31:59.61\00:32:00.95
And he said,
"What are you gonna do
00:32:00.98\00:32:03.39
for the Lord now
00:32:03.42\00:32:04.75
that he has given
you the green card?"
00:32:04.79\00:32:06.12
And I looked at him
like, "I don't know."
00:32:06.15\00:32:09.76
I mean, the never thought
never occurred to me, like,
00:32:09.79\00:32:14.26
if God blesses
me with this thing,
00:32:14.30\00:32:16.83
how will I return it to Him?
00:32:16.87\00:32:19.63
When we're praying for
blessings in our lives,
00:32:19.67\00:32:21.17
does the thought ever
cross your mind, Lord,
00:32:21.20\00:32:24.64
if You give this to
me, how do I give it back?
00:32:24.67\00:32:28.58
This was Hannah's mentality,
00:32:28.61\00:32:30.21
she said, "God, if
You give me a child,
00:32:30.25\00:32:32.41
I'm giving him back to You."
00:32:32.45\00:32:35.88
So, you know, her
heart was in the right place.
00:32:35.92\00:32:40.79
It came to pass.
00:32:40.82\00:32:42.36
She continued
praying before the Lord.
00:32:42.39\00:32:44.96
Eli, the
priest, the high priest,
00:32:44.99\00:32:47.10
he saw her mouth
moving and he was like
00:32:47.13\00:32:49.56
something is not
right with this woman
00:32:49.60\00:32:51.93
and he went up to
her and he's like,
00:32:51.97\00:32:54.04
"What are you doing?
00:32:54.07\00:32:55.40
Like, you know,
you're misbehaving
00:32:55.44\00:32:56.77
in the temple."
00:32:56.81\00:32:58.14
And she said,
look, I am not trying to,
00:32:58.17\00:33:01.74
you know, make a scene.
00:33:01.78\00:33:03.11
It's just my heart is so heavy.
00:33:03.14\00:33:04.55
She was so
emotional that the way that
00:33:04.58\00:33:06.35
she was holding herself,
the way she was not composed,
00:33:06.38\00:33:10.19
ill composed, so just that maybe
00:33:10.22\00:33:12.19
she was drunk and
she said, I'm not drunk.
00:33:12.22\00:33:14.76
I don't worship idols.
00:33:14.79\00:33:16.12
I worship the living God
00:33:16.16\00:33:17.49
and I don't drink alcohol, amen.
00:33:17.53\00:33:20.23
Okay.
00:33:20.26\00:33:21.60
It's like I'm not drunk, right?
00:33:21.63\00:33:22.96
And then she shared
what her burden was,
00:33:23.00\00:33:26.23
something about the
way Eli approached her.
00:33:26.27\00:33:28.54
Sometimes
people will come at you
00:33:28.57\00:33:30.77
based on their
own life experience.
00:33:30.81\00:33:33.68
And they may
misunderstand your actions
00:33:33.71\00:33:36.75
because of their own experience.
00:33:36.78\00:33:39.41
Eli's children
were sons of Belial,
00:33:39.45\00:33:42.78
he tells us in Chapter 2.
00:33:42.82\00:33:44.65
They were the ones going around
acting the fool in the temple.
00:33:44.69\00:33:49.02
And so because he had
seen that in his own children,
00:33:49.06\00:33:51.53
he looks at Hannah
and he assumes that
00:33:51.56\00:33:54.13
she's acting like
his kids were acting.
00:33:54.16\00:33:59.27
And once again,
this is a godly woman
00:33:59.30\00:34:01.40
because she doesn't
respond in annoyance and,
00:34:01.44\00:34:04.21
"Yeah, how dare you
talk to me like that
00:34:04.24\00:34:05.77
you don't know who I am?"
00:34:05.81\00:34:07.64
She doesn't respond that way.
00:34:07.68\00:34:09.04
She says, "No, no, no, my Lord,
00:34:09.08\00:34:10.78
please don't
think of me that way."
00:34:10.81\00:34:13.18
She's so humble in
the way she responds.
00:34:13.21\00:34:16.28
And when people misjudge you,
00:34:16.32\00:34:19.85
will you respond that way?
00:34:19.89\00:34:22.72
Look, this has happened
and happens often, you know,
00:34:22.76\00:34:25.93
young people come to GYC
00:34:25.96\00:34:27.36
and you're gonna be
moved by the Holy Spirit
00:34:27.40\00:34:29.46
to go do something.
00:34:29.50\00:34:30.83
Tim was talking
last night about,
00:34:30.87\00:34:32.20
"You see
something in your church,
00:34:32.23\00:34:33.57
go be the one that
does something about it."
00:34:33.60\00:34:34.94
You're gonna go
back to your home church,
00:34:34.97\00:34:36.34
and you may start
trying to do something
00:34:36.37\00:34:38.31
and people might misjudge you,
00:34:38.34\00:34:41.08
but it's based on
their own life experience.
00:34:41.11\00:34:43.38
You follow what I'm saying?
00:34:43.41\00:34:45.88
And how do you respond to that?
00:34:45.91\00:34:48.28
You're like, "Oh,
you don't know who I am?
00:34:48.32\00:34:50.52
I'm a GYC attendee.
00:34:50.55\00:34:53.66
And I'm bathed in the
Holy Spirit right now."
00:34:53.69\00:34:58.16
How do you respond
when people misjudge you?
00:34:58.19\00:35:01.96
Hannah's response was humble.
00:35:02.00\00:35:08.37
And so it says,
"Count not thine handmade,"
00:35:08.40\00:35:10.07
verse 16.
00:35:10.11\00:35:11.57
"Count not thine handmaid
for a daughter of Belial,
00:35:11.61\00:35:14.98
for out of the
abundance of my complaint
00:35:15.01\00:35:17.68
and grief have I
spoken hitherto."
00:35:17.71\00:35:21.45
She took her grieves,
00:35:21.48\00:35:22.92
she took her
complaints to Jesus.
00:35:22.95\00:35:25.99
Now here's
another side note for you.
00:35:26.02\00:35:27.96
Those of you who are married,
00:35:27.99\00:35:29.32
those of you who
hope to be married,
00:35:29.36\00:35:30.69
those of you who are
unmarried and never hope to be,
00:35:30.73\00:35:32.46
this is just a
note for everyone.
00:35:32.49\00:35:33.83
There are some things
00:35:33.86\00:35:35.83
that you can tell
nobody else but Jesus.
00:35:35.86\00:35:40.74
This was that kind
of a thing for Hannah.
00:35:40.77\00:35:43.47
Her husband, she was
supposed to be with him
00:35:43.51\00:35:46.84
in this thing
because two become one
00:35:46.88\00:35:48.81
when you get
married, but he is the one
00:35:48.84\00:35:51.98
who was the source of
the grief in her life.
00:35:52.01\00:35:55.32
She couldn't
talk to him about it.
00:35:55.35\00:35:59.35
There will come
situations in your life
00:35:59.39\00:36:00.96
where you can't talk
to anybody else about it,
00:36:00.99\00:36:03.16
but you can
always talk to Jesus.
00:36:03.19\00:36:08.13
And some things you shouldn't
talk to anyone else about.
00:36:08.16\00:36:11.53
You should only talk to Jesus.
00:36:11.57\00:36:13.80
And this is something she came
00:36:13.84\00:36:15.17
and she brought before the Lord.
00:36:15.20\00:36:17.21
Now, if you're looking to
get married, and you're...
00:36:17.24\00:36:19.57
you have this
fanciful idea that,
00:36:19.61\00:36:21.68
you know, you get married
00:36:21.71\00:36:23.04
and the two of
you are peas in a pod
00:36:23.08\00:36:25.05
and do everything together.
00:36:25.08\00:36:27.98
You know, and like,
you're like, always in sync,
00:36:28.02\00:36:32.35
you know, it's like,
you complete each other.
00:36:32.39\00:36:35.96
Right?
00:36:35.99\00:36:37.33
Like, you finish
each other's sentences.
00:36:37.36\00:36:41.53
That is not
exactly how marriage goes.
00:36:41.56\00:36:43.40
Anyone married out there?
00:36:43.43\00:36:45.70
Okay, I heard one
or two amens, right?
00:36:45.73\00:36:48.07
That's not
exactly how marriage goes.
00:36:48.10\00:36:50.51
You get married
00:36:50.54\00:36:51.87
and you're still two individuals
00:36:51.91\00:36:54.78
who become one.
00:36:54.81\00:36:57.15
But you two as individuals
need to have a relationship
00:36:57.18\00:36:59.91
with Jesus all by yourself.
00:36:59.95\00:37:02.62
This is why I
say, you know what?
00:37:02.65\00:37:04.35
Before you're
thinking about getting married,
00:37:04.39\00:37:06.12
before you're like,
you know, find, Lord,
00:37:06.15\00:37:08.76
just bring that
person into my life.
00:37:08.79\00:37:10.33
You need to say, "Jesus,
bring yourself into my life."
00:37:10.36\00:37:14.10
Before I'm committing
00:37:14.13\00:37:15.46
to spend my life
with somebody else,
00:37:15.50\00:37:17.17
I need to make
sure that me and God,
00:37:17.20\00:37:19.33
we're like this,
00:37:19.37\00:37:21.64
because the going may get tough.
00:37:21.67\00:37:24.94
The going will
probably get tough.
00:37:24.97\00:37:27.01
Matter of fact, I
will guarantee you,
00:37:27.04\00:37:29.28
when you get
married, if you're not yet,
00:37:29.31\00:37:31.01
the going will get tough.
00:37:31.05\00:37:33.78
It will get tough in the sense
00:37:33.82\00:37:35.15
that sometimes you'll be
sitting there thinking like,
00:37:35.18\00:37:38.82
"Okay, was I drunk?"
00:37:38.85\00:37:41.89
Like, this is why they
say you fall in love, like,
00:37:41.92\00:37:44.59
was I thinking straight?
00:37:44.63\00:37:46.49
And my husband,
"I love you, honey."
00:37:46.53\00:37:50.93
This is not a
commentary on, like,
00:37:50.97\00:37:52.90
we're actually happily married
so far, please, you know,
00:37:52.93\00:37:56.27
keep us in prayer if
you ever think of us.
00:37:56.30\00:37:57.84
But times get hard.
00:37:57.87\00:38:01.88
Am I lying?
00:38:01.91\00:38:03.71
Okay, thank you.
00:38:03.75\00:38:06.01
The married people, like,
you should be saying amen.
00:38:06.05\00:38:07.72
Like, help me out
here, times get hard,
00:38:07.75\00:38:11.32
and when times get hard
00:38:11.35\00:38:12.69
you need to be
able to talk to Jesus.
00:38:12.72\00:38:15.59
You need to have that kind
of a relationship with the Lord.
00:38:15.62\00:38:19.73
And even when you
say you're not married,
00:38:19.76\00:38:22.86
times get hard in
your single life, amen?
00:38:22.90\00:38:26.43
And you need to be able
to talk to Jesus about it.
00:38:26.47\00:38:29.77
And this is what Hannah did.
00:38:29.80\00:38:32.14
When there was barrenness
in her life, she came to God.
00:38:32.17\00:38:36.61
And she said, "Lord, here,
00:38:36.64\00:38:40.75
here's my
situation, help me out.
00:38:40.78\00:38:43.18
Nobody else on
earth can help me.
00:38:43.22\00:38:45.42
Here it is."
00:38:45.45\00:38:48.69
After she spoke
with the high priest,
00:38:48.72\00:38:50.86
he heard what her request was,
00:38:50.89\00:38:52.36
what was going on in
her life and he said,
00:38:52.39\00:38:55.63
"Oh, I understand now.
00:38:55.66\00:38:57.00
Well, go,
because God will give you
00:38:57.03\00:38:58.87
what it is that you
are requesting from Him."
00:38:58.90\00:39:04.67
Verse 19, "They rose
up in the morning early,
00:39:04.71\00:39:07.64
worshiped before the Lord,
00:39:07.68\00:39:09.01
returned and came to
their house at Ramah.
00:39:09.04\00:39:10.45
And Elkanah
knew Hannah his wife,
00:39:10.48\00:39:12.85
and the Lord remembered her."
00:39:12.88\00:39:14.62
Amen.
00:39:14.65\00:39:17.05
Jesus will never forget you.
00:39:17.09\00:39:20.56
It may seem like
it's been a while
00:39:20.59\00:39:22.29
like you've been talking to
him about this for a long time,
00:39:22.32\00:39:24.69
but He will not forget you.
00:39:24.73\00:39:27.20
Don't stop coming to Him.
00:39:27.23\00:39:29.30
Don't give up.
00:39:29.33\00:39:30.90
It says the Lord
remembered Hannah
00:39:30.93\00:39:32.33
and the Lord remembers you.
00:39:32.37\00:39:34.77
He hears your cries.
00:39:34.80\00:39:36.27
He hears those
things that you talk to Him
00:39:36.30\00:39:37.71
about that nobody else knows.
00:39:37.74\00:39:39.74
He hears you.
00:39:39.77\00:39:41.11
It says the Lord
remembered Hannah,
00:39:41.14\00:39:43.98
"Wherefore it came
to pass," in verse 20,
00:39:44.01\00:39:45.98
"when the time has come about
after Hannah had conceived,
00:39:46.01\00:39:48.82
that she bear a son
00:39:48.85\00:39:50.19
and called his
name Samuel saying,
00:39:50.22\00:39:51.59
'Because I have
asked him of the Lord.'
00:39:51.62\00:39:55.66
And the man Elkanah
00:39:55.69\00:39:57.03
and all his house went up
00:39:57.06\00:39:58.39
to offer unto the Lord
00:39:58.43\00:39:59.76
the yearly
sacrifice and his vow.
00:39:59.79\00:40:01.13
But Hannah went not up."
00:40:01.16\00:40:02.63
Not because she
had lost her faith,
00:40:02.66\00:40:04.33
or because after God gave her
00:40:04.37\00:40:05.80
what she wanted, she forgot God.
00:40:05.83\00:40:07.77
No.
00:40:07.80\00:40:09.14
"She said to her husband,
00:40:09.17\00:40:10.51
'I will not go up
until the child be weaned,
00:40:10.54\00:40:12.51
and then I will bring him,
00:40:12.54\00:40:14.64
that he may
appear before the Lord
00:40:14.68\00:40:16.04
and there abide forever.'"
00:40:16.08\00:40:18.61
She remembered her vow,
what she had promised to God.
00:40:18.65\00:40:22.58
"And Elkanah said, 'Do
what seemeth good to thee.
00:40:22.62\00:40:25.99
Tarry until
thou have weaned him,
00:40:26.02\00:40:27.56
only the Lord shall
establish His word.'
00:40:27.59\00:40:29.29
So the woman abode,
00:40:29.32\00:40:30.99
gave her son suck
until she weaned him.
00:40:31.03\00:40:35.83
The next verse,
it hits home for me,
00:40:35.86\00:40:41.84
because I'm a mother of
three who are three and under.
00:40:41.87\00:40:46.37
So I got very young kids.
00:40:46.41\00:40:49.28
So nursing babies is a
current experience for me.
00:40:49.31\00:40:54.82
And something happens as a mom
00:40:54.85\00:40:56.38
when you hold your child
and you're nursing your child.
00:40:56.42\00:40:59.45
Like there's a
bond that develops,
00:40:59.49\00:41:03.99
an inexpressible
thing that happens.
00:41:04.03\00:41:06.36
Moms, amen?
00:41:06.39\00:41:08.20
Like...
00:41:08.23\00:41:11.13
And mothers end up being like
00:41:11.17\00:41:14.60
kind of crazy like she bears.
00:41:14.64\00:41:19.24
I read this,
this research recently
00:41:19.27\00:41:22.28
that says that
women just before, like,
00:41:22.31\00:41:26.51
during pregnancy and
then they did the study up
00:41:26.55\00:41:29.05
to two years postpartum,
00:41:29.08\00:41:31.25
that women's frontal lobes
actually are functioning less.
00:41:31.29\00:41:36.32
So this is me functioning
on less brain capacity.
00:41:36.36\00:41:39.03
Okay? So please
pray for me, right?
00:41:39.06\00:41:42.06
Their frontal
lobes function less
00:41:42.10\00:41:44.17
because it's like their instinct
00:41:44.20\00:41:46.40
goes into high gear.
00:41:46.43\00:41:48.87
And I think the study
is saying biologically
00:41:48.90\00:41:51.74
kind of have to be
so because as a mom,
00:41:51.77\00:41:53.54
like taking care
of this newborn baby,
00:41:53.58\00:41:55.34
you kind of have to be
like a little bit crazy.
00:41:55.38\00:41:57.98
You know, because you're
not getting sleep, right?
00:41:58.01\00:42:00.45
But for not getting sleep,
00:42:00.48\00:42:02.05
you're still
like hyper protective
00:42:02.08\00:42:03.49
of this little creature
that is depriving you of rest,
00:42:03.52\00:42:07.06
but you're just
like, "My baby is crying,
00:42:07.09\00:42:09.42
I gotta go."
00:42:09.46\00:42:10.89
You know, and
you're just like...
00:42:10.93\00:42:12.86
like, that's
kind of what happens,
00:42:12.89\00:42:15.70
you know, when
you're nursing your child.
00:42:15.73\00:42:17.07
So when it says
in the next verse
00:42:17.10\00:42:20.24
in verse 24, "When
she had weaned him,
00:42:20.27\00:42:24.31
she took him up with
her, with three bullocks
00:42:24.34\00:42:26.51
and one ephah of
flour, and a bottle of wine,
00:42:26.54\00:42:28.04
and brought him
00:42:28.08\00:42:29.41
to the house of
the Lord in Shiloh,
00:42:29.44\00:42:31.78
and the child was young."
00:42:31.81\00:42:34.65
So weaning a child, on average,
00:42:34.68\00:42:38.42
they say anywhere between
three and five years of age,
00:42:38.45\00:42:40.76
you'd consider
child to be weaned.
00:42:40.79\00:42:42.96
And reading the
Spirit of Prophecy,
00:42:42.99\00:42:44.33
Ellen White says
that Samuel was three.
00:42:44.36\00:42:49.46
She took her little
00:42:49.50\00:42:50.97
three-year-old to the temple.
00:42:51.00\00:42:55.20
Look, we already talked
about Hophni and Phinehas,
00:42:58.24\00:43:01.14
like these guys were ridiculous.
00:43:01.18\00:43:03.48
We talked about the
fact that the temple service
00:43:03.51\00:43:05.95
had been so corrupted that
00:43:05.98\00:43:07.32
some people would not
even go there to worship.
00:43:07.35\00:43:09.95
This woman took her
three-year-old child.
00:43:09.98\00:43:15.02
Brought him to that place
where we're starting to think,
00:43:15.06\00:43:19.49
my eldest is three,
00:43:19.53\00:43:22.46
was trying to think about
where he's gonna go to school.
00:43:22.50\00:43:24.93
If we're gonna homeschool,
00:43:24.97\00:43:26.30
if we're gonna
send him to academy,
00:43:26.33\00:43:27.67
like, what are we gonna do.
00:43:27.70\00:43:29.04
And I'm looking at all
the schools in our area
00:43:29.07\00:43:30.94
and I'm like,
00:43:30.97\00:43:32.31
"Ah, so tell me
about this teacher
00:43:32.34\00:43:34.58
and this one."
00:43:34.61\00:43:35.94
I'm not sending to my child
00:43:35.98\00:43:37.31
to a school that has Hophni
and Phinehas as principal.
00:43:37.35\00:43:40.78
No way.
00:43:40.82\00:43:43.12
Hanna took her
child to the temple.
00:43:43.15\00:43:48.12
Are you beginning to
understand what I'm saying?
00:43:48.16\00:43:52.63
Some of us are like,
I'm not returning if...
00:43:52.66\00:43:54.56
I'm not gonna return
my tithe to the church
00:43:54.60\00:43:56.40
because I don't trust
00:43:56.43\00:43:57.77
what those leaders
are doing with my money.
00:43:57.80\00:43:59.43
Hannah took her
three-year-old child
00:43:59.47\00:44:02.60
to the temple.
00:44:02.64\00:44:05.67
We're like, "I'm not
gonna be involved in my church
00:44:05.71\00:44:07.51
because I don't
trust those people."
00:44:07.54\00:44:09.34
She took her
three-year-old child
00:44:09.38\00:44:12.11
to the temple
00:44:12.15\00:44:15.08
because she's not
there to worship people
00:44:15.12\00:44:19.05
because she worships the Lord.
00:44:19.09\00:44:21.06
She made a vow
between her and God.
00:44:21.09\00:44:22.86
And she trusted her child
00:44:22.89\00:44:24.36
not to Hophni
and Phinehas or Eli,
00:44:24.39\00:44:27.20
because Eli had obviously
failed in raising his kids.
00:44:27.23\00:44:29.83
She trusted her
child to the Lord.
00:44:29.86\00:44:35.17
Look, when you're
experiencing barrenness,
00:44:35.20\00:44:39.07
do you trust God or
do you pull an Elkanah?
00:44:39.11\00:44:43.01
And when God has blessed you
00:44:43.04\00:44:44.48
and you're
experiencing fruitfulness?
00:44:44.51\00:44:47.52
Do you trust that fruitfulness
to God all the same?
00:44:47.55\00:44:51.85
Or is it like, "Okay,
now that I have this child,
00:44:51.89\00:44:54.52
I'm gonna protect this child.
00:44:54.56\00:44:56.52
I'm gonna make sure that
nothing happens to this child,
00:44:56.56\00:44:59.13
the child could be your degrees,
00:44:59.16\00:45:00.60
could be your career,
00:45:00.63\00:45:01.96
it could be your
relationship, it could...
00:45:02.00\00:45:03.80
Now that I have this thing,
00:45:03.83\00:45:05.17
I'm gonna make sure
that I take good care of it.
00:45:05.20\00:45:10.57
In October of last year,
00:45:10.61\00:45:13.91
I got on a plane
with my newborn baby
00:45:13.94\00:45:16.14
who was less than a month...
00:45:16.18\00:45:17.68
Uh-oh, like a month, a
little over a month old,
00:45:17.71\00:45:20.35
and with my
three-year-old child,
00:45:20.38\00:45:22.98
and we took a trip to
Zimbabwe and I went there
00:45:23.02\00:45:25.22
and left him
there with my parents
00:45:25.25\00:45:27.06
to stay with my
parents for a while.
00:45:27.09\00:45:28.56
Getting on that plane
was one of the hardest things
00:45:33.50\00:45:35.56
I did but, you know,
00:45:35.60\00:45:36.93
what was even harder
was staying in my seat
00:45:36.97\00:45:38.63
as we took off
after we left the airport.
00:45:38.67\00:45:44.01
I wanted to get up
and manhandle the pilot
00:45:44.04\00:45:48.41
make him turn that plane around
00:45:48.44\00:45:51.95
and go back and get my baby.
00:45:51.98\00:45:56.45
So I cannot
imagine what Hannah did.
00:45:56.48\00:46:01.59
Look, I trust my parents.
00:46:01.62\00:46:02.96
I know he's in good hands.
00:46:02.99\00:46:04.33
He's having a blast.
He's having a great time.
00:46:04.36\00:46:08.63
And I see him every
day with video chat.
00:46:08.66\00:46:11.43
They didn't have
video chat back then.
00:46:11.47\00:46:14.20
And she wasn't leaving him
00:46:14.24\00:46:15.70
with her
parents who she trusted.
00:46:15.74\00:46:21.01
But Hannah trusted God.
00:46:21.04\00:46:25.61
Hannah trusted God that much.
00:46:25.65\00:46:28.98
And she said,
"God, You're the one
00:46:29.02\00:46:30.45
who gave this
thing to me anyway.
00:46:30.49\00:46:32.92
I give it back to you."
00:46:32.95\00:46:36.06
We act like we can
control our own lives.
00:46:36.09\00:46:39.66
We act like we can control
00:46:39.69\00:46:41.03
whether we wake
up tomorrow or not.
00:46:41.06\00:46:43.13
We act like, "If I
worry enough about it,
00:46:43.16\00:46:46.90
I'm gonna be able to change it."
00:46:46.94\00:46:49.07
Jesus said, "Don't fret,
00:46:49.10\00:46:51.41
who has added a cubit to
his height by stressing?"
00:46:51.44\00:46:56.44
Trust in God. Trust in God.
00:46:56.48\00:47:02.45
Don't go about it your own
way, don't pull an Elkanah.
00:47:02.48\00:47:05.15
Oh, I am gonna go outside
00:47:05.19\00:47:07.16
of God's will to
make this happen.
00:47:07.19\00:47:08.82
Don't do that, trust in God.
00:47:08.86\00:47:13.76
And when He has blessed
you, don't go about your life
00:47:13.80\00:47:16.23
as if you really have
control because you don't.
00:47:16.26\00:47:19.63
And the sad thing is sometimes
00:47:19.67\00:47:21.27
God has to take
away those things
00:47:21.30\00:47:22.64
from our lives to remind us that
00:47:22.67\00:47:24.57
we don't have
that kind of control.
00:47:24.61\00:47:26.41
So we can
remember to trust in God.
00:47:26.44\00:47:29.94
We're starting in
1 Samuel Chapter 1.
00:47:34.22\00:47:37.39
This, for our morning devotions,
00:47:37.42\00:47:38.92
we're gonna stay in 1 Samuel.
00:47:38.95\00:47:41.52
Because this is where
the narrative of by many
00:47:41.56\00:47:42.99
or by few is based in,
00:47:43.02\00:47:45.06
but I thought it
was fitting to start
00:47:45.09\00:47:47.46
right at the
beginning of the book
00:47:47.50\00:47:48.83
because this lays the foundation
00:47:48.86\00:47:50.20
for the by many or by few,
00:47:50.23\00:47:52.07
the kind of
person that God can use
00:47:52.10\00:47:55.30
whether they are many
people or they're few people,
00:47:55.34\00:47:57.51
is the kind of
person who trusts Him.
00:47:57.54\00:48:01.04
He is the person who
says, my whole, entire,
00:48:01.08\00:48:03.85
complete unreserved
trust is in You, Lord.
00:48:03.88\00:48:08.88
Do you trust God today?
00:48:08.92\00:48:13.42
Do you trust Him that
00:48:13.46\00:48:14.79
He's able to take
care of your situation?
00:48:14.82\00:48:17.03
Yeah, you're 35 and single,
00:48:17.06\00:48:18.79
pushing 40, do
you trust God still?
00:48:18.83\00:48:22.80
Or are you gonna go
outside of the church
00:48:22.83\00:48:24.17
because there ain't no
good men in the church.
00:48:24.20\00:48:28.34
Yeah, you're
working on your education
00:48:28.37\00:48:30.47
and the finances
aren't coming together.
00:48:30.51\00:48:32.47
Are you gonna still trust that
God will make a way for you?
00:48:32.51\00:48:37.68
You're looking for a job.
00:48:37.71\00:48:41.58
Are you gonna
still trust in God?
00:48:41.62\00:48:45.15
Finances are tight.
00:48:45.19\00:48:48.12
Are you gonna
return a faithful tithe?
00:48:48.16\00:48:49.82
Yes, to the church that
sometimes you're questioning,
00:48:49.86\00:48:52.89
you know, some of the
stuff that's happening,
00:48:52.93\00:48:54.26
but you're not
tithing to the church,
00:48:54.30\00:48:56.06
you're tithing to God?
00:48:56.10\00:48:58.13
Are you gonna trust in God?
00:48:58.17\00:49:02.80
Bow your heads with me.
00:49:02.84\00:49:04.17
Lord, it's hard sometimes
00:49:08.91\00:49:13.85
to let go control.
00:49:13.88\00:49:15.65
We think we have
control but in reality we don't.
00:49:15.68\00:49:18.85
And we need to
learn to just trust You,
00:49:18.89\00:49:21.56
to rest in Your providence,
00:49:21.59\00:49:26.06
in Your care for us,
00:49:26.09\00:49:27.93
to trust that You love us that
00:49:27.96\00:49:29.30
You have our best
interests at heart.
00:49:29.33\00:49:31.17
Even when the
barrenness comes from You,
00:49:31.20\00:49:33.50
we need to trust that
You know what's best for us
00:49:33.54\00:49:36.91
in our barrenness.
00:49:36.94\00:49:39.87
And, Lord, when
You give us the gifts
00:49:39.91\00:49:41.24
we need to learn to trust You
00:49:41.28\00:49:42.61
with those gifts to
give them back to You.
00:49:42.64\00:49:47.88
Lord, please forgive
us for not trusting You,
00:49:47.92\00:49:49.78
forgive us for our
complaining spirit,
00:49:49.82\00:49:52.52
forgive us for
turning to other places
00:49:52.55\00:49:54.86
instead of turning to You
00:49:54.89\00:49:56.22
when You are the
source of all good
00:49:56.26\00:49:58.23
and all perfect gifts.
00:49:58.26\00:50:02.20
Forgive our sin in this thing,
00:50:02.23\00:50:03.70
Lord, because we want
You to be able to use us
00:50:03.73\00:50:07.44
to reach a world that is dying.
00:50:07.47\00:50:10.04
And in order to do that
00:50:10.07\00:50:11.41
we need to place our
complete trust in You.
00:50:11.44\00:50:17.15
As our eyes are closed
and our heads are bowed,
00:50:17.18\00:50:20.92
there's someone
here this morning
00:50:20.95\00:50:22.28
who wants to
stand up from their seat
00:50:22.32\00:50:25.79
and declare that they
want to have the spirit
00:50:25.82\00:50:27.79
that Hannah had,
00:50:27.82\00:50:30.16
the kind of
trust that Hannah had.
00:50:30.19\00:50:32.29
I invite you to
stand up with me.
00:50:32.33\00:50:33.66
Father, You see the
people that are standing
00:50:38.83\00:50:40.54
and You know our hearts,
00:50:40.57\00:50:43.57
You know if some of the people
00:50:43.61\00:50:46.21
standing are doing so just
00:50:46.24\00:50:47.58
because they
don't want to look odd
00:50:47.61\00:50:49.78
and everybody else
is standing so they are.
00:50:49.81\00:50:51.88
But, Father, I pray that
this is a sincere decision
00:50:51.91\00:50:54.85
from our hearts
00:50:54.88\00:50:56.85
that You would
help us to trust You.
00:50:56.89\00:50:59.62
Lord, send Your Holy
Spirit to bring to mind
00:50:59.65\00:51:01.49
those situations
that we're experiencing
00:51:01.52\00:51:03.26
that we need to have a
deeper and more sincere
00:51:03.29\00:51:07.36
and fervent and
earnest trust in You.
00:51:07.40\00:51:09.93
But make us
faithful warriors today,
00:51:09.96\00:51:13.37
by the power of Your
Spirit, Your indwelling Spirit.
00:51:13.40\00:51:17.11
We pray these
things in Your lovely name.
00:51:17.14\00:51:18.87
Amen.
00:51:18.91\00:51:20.44