5.7.8 "Prompted by Pain"

"Prompted by Pain"

1 Samuel 1:1-2:21
John 5:1-23
Psalm 105:37-45
Proverbs 14:28-29

There is Preciousness in Frustration! What??? How can that be? Frustration is a bad thing isn't it???

The story of Hannah in the first chapter of I Samuel is the story that first got me thinking about the Preciousness of Frustration.

Hannah is barren. What makes this even more difficult is that her husband's other wife Peninnah has children. "Peninnah made matters worse by taunting Hannah because of her barrenness. Every year it was the same - Peninnah scoffing and laughing at her as they went to Shiloh, making her cry so much she couldn't eat." (I Sam 1:6-7)

There are times in our lives when we may be in a situation like this. We are hurt, and we are frustrated. We may even feel angry. We don't realize what is at stake in these moments. We too often don't understand the importance of our next step.

What was Hannah's response to the pain? She went to God in worship. "She was in deep anguish and was crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made this vow: 'O Lord of heaven, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you, and he'll be yours for his entire lifetime, and his hair shall never be cut." (1:10-11)

As if she wasn't frustrated enough, Eli, the priest at the tabernacle, saw the way she was praying and accused her of being drunk. For me, I think that would be the last straw. That would be my signal to go off on someone. I would use my pain to fuel an explosion of fleshly venom. Not Hannah. She responds in humility and respect.

And guess what...God answers prayer! And to make the story even more profound, she commits a tremendous act of obedience, as she returns to the Tabernacle to present her son, Samuel to the Lord's service. This boy Samuel becomes a great man of God.

In life we will have pain. What will we do with it? In our "victim" society we excuse inappropriate actions because we are "hurting". In Christian circles we say, "I'm just venting...". We need to recognize pain and frustration as an opportunity for God to move. The Obstacle is the Opportunity. As is the case in the story of Hannah, "The Greater the Pain, the Greater the Promise." From her great anguish came the man who would lead the people back to God.

Who would have thought that Hannah's barrenness was connected to God's plan for greatness. Who would have thought that the frustration you are going through is actually the pathway to an incredible move of God in your life and the lives of those around you.

There is only one appropriate response to pain and frustration. It's the pathway of seeking God. Of worshiping Him and responding to His direction with radical obedience. When we live THAT Lifestyle of Worship, we will understand "Dynamic" at a whole new level!

Seek him today, hear his voice. Cry out to Him. He's got great plans for you!

Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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