Little Boys. Big God

One Saturday afternoon I simply picked up the book I had been reading for my devotional time, but right before I picked it up and I had been praying and thanking the Lord for His provision in my life. I grinned when I realized very quickly what that days chapter was on: God’s providence. But I love when the Lord teaches you something new through what may seem like a familiar story.

In her book Mended author Angie Smith shares what the Lord taught her through a message her pastor preached about the birth of Moses. When we read the story of Moses there seems to be one woman who we forget to really stop and take a look at—at least I know I do. It’s Moses’ mother. 

"I can imagine that as Moses’ mother set the basket in the water, tears streamed down her face and she wondered if she would ever see him again. Out of her hands, into the water. What an incredible act of trust in a sovereign God."- Mended 

Angie talked a lot about Moses and how God’s hand was on his life, and it was, but my heart kept being drawn back to the woman who put the basket in the river in the first place. If it was not for Moses’ mother’s sacrifice and surrender Moses’ would not have ended up where he did and become the man he became. It took one woman laying it all down and with a face covered in tears she let go of her younger son and trusted him to Almighty God. All three women we will learn about: Jochebed, Hannah, and  Mary all had to surrender in some way. Each of them most likely had picture frames hung in their hearts and minds. I bet neither of them wanted to give their sons up; whether to a river, a priest, or a cross. But God, had a plan. God was thinking about our redemption. All three women are linked as we will soon see, because they surrendered.

Even as I write this I’m fighting back the tears as I think that this woman had a plan for her life. She probably had a plan for her son’s life, and I am pretty sure it did not include having to hide him for three-months so he wouldn’t be killed and then putting him a papyrus basket and placing him among the reeds in the Nile River. I’m pretty sure that was not part of “her plan.”

God had a much greater purpose and plan that he was unfolding. I find great comfort in the fact that her tears were not in vain. God new the pain and deep ache that leaving her son in that basket was causing her. The LORD in his amazing power orchestrated it so that she would get to see him a little longer before letting him go—so that he could become the man God has destined him to be. I’m not a mother but what grace and mercy God had on Moses’ mother to simply let her see and know that her baby boy was going to be all right. This certainly was not the plan she had in her mind, but God used her to bring into the world a man he would use in a mighty way for the glory of God and for generations to come.

I step back and think how many generations have been blessed because of her surrender. I mean just sit back for a second and think. Think of all the lives impacted my Moses’ who would not have had the story he did with the Lord had it not been for one woman’s willingness to let go and trust God!

Hannah

I never would imagine that one woman in Scripture would capture my heart so deeply as Hannah has. We are first introduced to Hannah in 1 Samuel chapter 1:1-27. Most people ,if they know anything about the story of Hannah, know about her crying out to the LORD to give her a son and how the LORD heard her cries and granted her a son, whom she named Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20). But, that is not why I have begun to fall in love with this story. I was captivated when I looked at the bigger picture God was painting.

But I want to you give you a little history so that you have some idea where we find ourselves, and where Hannah finds herself.

Israel has been ruled by judges for around 300 years and Samuel would be the last of those judges and the first priest and prophet to serve during the time of a king. The book of 1 Samuel begins in the days when the judges still ruled Israel. 

God had a plan, and Samuel had a destiny. God knew why Hannah had to wait. Hannah didn't know why. All she knew was that in that moment she had a deep longing and desire that seemed to go unmet year after year. God knew there was a purpose. He saw every tear and heard every cry.

It was through Hannah’s story and seeing that it was part of a much bigger picture I felt the Lord whisper to me, “Baby girl, there is something the wait is for!" He heard her cries; he knew the desires of her heart. They were not going unnoticed. He granted those desires in His timing, and way. Hannah just wanted a baby, God was thinking about the Redemption story that He was writing! He knew the story had to unfold just the way it did for a reason. Samuel had to be born when he was...not before or after!

Why was it such a big deal that she couldn’t have a child? Well, in Old Testament times, a childless woman was considered a failure. Her barrenness was a social embarrassment for her husband. That’s why many times you see men with more than one wife. The more children they had the wealthier they considered. It was the pride of woman to be able to bare children, so therefore is was devastating for a woman to not bare children. Hannah is one of those woman who we are told from the beginning has no children (1 Sam 1:2). Most likely because Hannah couldn’t bear children is why her husband took another wife. Part of God’s plan for Hannah involved postponing her years of childbearing. While Peninnah and Elkanah, and I am sure others, looked at Hannah’s outward circumstances and didn’t see how they could be changed God was moving ahead with his plan.

We will pick up with Hannah where we find her praying to the Lord, for I am sure what felt to her like the millionth time. Hannah’s story is one that is so close to my heart because I could relate to her raw emotions. I was not praying for a child, but I had been waiting for year and years to meet the man who would be by husband. After years and years my heart was beginning to grow so weary and tired. How much more heartbreak and rejection.

But it was her response to the Lord even in her brokenness and longing that encouraged me to continue to come before the Lord. Even when there were moments, if I’m honest, I felt like, what is the point to keep praying for this, “In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD.” She came brokenhearted before the Lord, but she still came.

 (1 Samuel 1:10-20)

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[a] saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

Sometimes when waiting on a true desire of our hearts to be met there can be a temptation to think that God is withholding. But in reality, sometimes God is waiting too! Waiting for the perfect time!

Hannah’s story began to mean to much to me for many reason, one I was reminded of God’s Sovereignty that he holds the whole world in his hands and that includes my circumstances. He can change my circumstances on a dime. Two, I was encouraged by Hannah’s raw honesty before the Lord. She poured out her heart to Him. Three, the bigger picture God was painting through her waiting. The postponing was part of the plan.

But, it wasn’t until one night during a Bible Study that something else about Hannah’s story and her prayer made me about come out of my skin. My heart fell to my feet and it’s all I could do not to loose it right then and there—in a good way.

The girls ministry that I have the joy of being apart of has Bible study on Sunday nights  we had been going through Anne Spanglers book, Praying the Names of God.  That particular week I was teaching as well as one of our other leaders Ms. Penny. As Ms. Penny was teaching but what to my surprise that she felt lead to teach on the story of Hannah. I was also going to be teaching on Hannah that night, but I was going to be teaching about Hannah’s prayer of praise. Ms. Penny was going to be teaching about Hannah’s prayer for a son.

God is amazing in how her works. As Ms. Penny taught she pointed something out that I had never noticed. In (1 Samuel 1:11) Hannah is opens up her prayer by calling on, “O LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”

That night Ms. Penny was going to talk to us about calling upon The LORD of the Angel Armies in prayer. Yahweh Tsebaoth, the “Lord of Hosts” is one of the names of God, used 235 times in the Bible. The first time it appears is in the story of Hannah. In Hannah’s struggle with barrenness she is the first person to call God by this name.

The best visual we find in Scripture for what this looks like is in (2 Kings 6:15-17)  

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Can you imagine! The first time that we see God called “The LORD of Hosts” or “LORD of the Angel Armies” is by Hannah in her brokenness. When we think of the Lord fighting for us we have a tenancy to think of these massive battles like we see in 2 Kings, but the very first time the God is called “The LORD of the Angel Armies” is by a woman who was in bitterness of soul and so simply longed for a child. She knew that her circumstances were out of her control.

As I am writing this I stopped for a moment and listened to the backstory behind worship leader Chris Tomlin’s new single “God is for us [God of the Angle Armies].” As I listened to the story and then sat and listened to the song my heart about came out of my chest at the image on this young woman kneeling in tears with all the faith she had left in her and was praying and believing maybe something similar to this:

I know Who goes before me//I know Who stands behind//The God of the angel armies//Is always by my side//The One who reigns forever//He is a Friend of mine//The God of the angel armies//Is always by my side…//And nothing formed against me shall stand//You hold the whole world in//Your hands//I’m holding onto Your promises//You are faithful//You are faithful//You are faithful…

She knew it was going to take a miracle, but that the same God who closed her womb could open it. That is what faith is—believing against all the odds stacked against you. Hannah had faith and knew that God was for her. That nothing was impossible for him. She was even willing to give her son back to God for a lifetime of service if only he would give her a son. There are a lot of commentaries that say she was barging with God, but I just wonder if maybe she was simply finally surrendering her plans to God.

Up to that point the dream of having and raising a son of her own brought with it imagines of what it would like to watch him grow up. But in that moment Hannah gave up all control and simply gave surrendered her plans to God, and simply asked if she at least have a son she would give him right back to God.

I am pretty sure that Hannah did not feel chosen, but she was. God has chosen her to give birth to a man who would become the final judge over Israel and who would also one day anoint King Saul and eventually King David. God had a plan for this baby boy she so longed for, but the Lord needed her surrender so that Samuel could be all He had imagined him to be.

The story of Hannah always drives home the simple and yet profound point that God’s timing is perfect.

Hannah defiantly had the odds stacked against her but I have found that I think God likes it when it seems like there is no way this situation or circumstance could change—God like when it looks impossible to us because nothing is impossible for Him. Hannah knew that!

Hannah had good reason to feel discouraged and bitter. She was unable to bear children; she shared her husband with a woman who ridiculed her (1 Sam 1:7); her loving husband could not solve her problem (1 Sam 1:8); and even the high priest misunderstood her motives (1 Sam 1:14). But instead of retaliating or giving up hope, Hannah prayed. She brought her problem honestly before God.

Earlier Hannah had been discouraged to the point of being physically sick and unable to eat. But in (1 Sam 1:18) we see her returning home well and happy. The change in her attitude may be attributed to many factors but there are two that stand out to me: She honestly prayed to God (1 Sam1:11) and she resolved to leave the problem with God (1 Sam 1:18).  She has called upon and prayed to the God of Angel Armies. Between the encouragement from Eli and her faith in God she got up from her knees, wiped her tears and breathe a sigh of relief. Knowing and believing that God had heard her prayer and would in his time and way answer.

It wasn’t until I saw one more piece come together that I heard the Lord tell me, “there is something the wait is for.”

Flash Forward: with God permission Samuel anoints Saul to be the next King and eventually (after Saul falls) he anoints David. Eventually known as King David. If you are familiar at all with the importance of that then you will know that from the line of King David would come a King of Kings; Who we know to be Jesus Christ the Lord and Messiah. Samuel had quite the destiny. There was something Hannah’s wait was for.

Mary

Then there is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary was most likely a teenager. She was young, poor and female—all characteristic that, to the people of her day, would make her seem unusable by God for any major task. But God chose Mary for one of the most important act of obedience he has ever demanded of anyone.

The words “I am the Lord’s servants. May everything you have said about me come true.” Are what fell from the lips of a young virgin girl. I have no doubt in my mind that Mary had pictures frames in her mind of the life she dreamed of. Even as I read the words from Luke 1:26-27 that say, “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy; God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descent of King David.”

Just in those few verses you know you was making plans. Plans to get married of all things. What every little girl dreams of. There she was engaged to an amazing man. I am sure they were making all kinds of plans for the life they would have together. But God had other plans. but God came in and interrupted Mary’s plans.

“Gabriel appeared  to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestors David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God. Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.” (Luke 1:26-38 NLT)

      God’s favor does not automatically bring instant success or fame. His blessing on Mary, the honor of being the mother of the Messiah, would lead to much pain; her peers would ridicule her; her finance’ would come close to leaving her; her son would be rejected and murdered. But through her son would come the world’s only hope, and this is why Mary has been praised by countless generations. Her submission was part of God’s plan to bring about our salvation.

      A young unmarried girl who became pregnant risked disaster. Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life. If her own father rejected her, she could be forced into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living. And Mary, with her story about become pregnant by the Holy Spirit, risked being considered crazy as well. Mary said, despite the possible risks, “May everything you have said about me come true.” When Mary said that, she didn’t know about the tremendous opportunity she would have. She only knew that God was asking her to serve him, and she willingly obeyed. Don’t wait for the bottom line before offering your life to God.

      Because of Mary’s surrender we have Jesus Christ our Savior. Mary was willing to risk everything for the sake of God. No matter the cost she would have in this life, she was praising God for a chance to participate in eternity.

      But the things that stands out the most about Mary is not only her obedient but in how she trusted God with the consequences.

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” (Luke 1:39-45 NLT)

“A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country…” Didn’t she have a finance’?  Didn’t she have friends? Wasn’t she worried about what everyone was saying about her? Nope. She hurried to the hill country to see Elizabeth. Not that she doubted what the angel said, but I am sure it was encouraging and certainly confirmation. But she was more excited about getting to participate in God’s story. To be the women who gives birth the Messiah. But, I guess my mind just drifts to Joseph. He was a man of integrity, who feared the Lord.

“Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,  for he will save his people from their sins. All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.”  (Matt 1:18-24)

            Joseph was trying to do what he thought was the “right” thing. He had his mind made up. He had decided what he was going to do, until God stepped in. Mary didn’t have to convince Joseph. Mary had trusted the consequence to God, and God took care of Joseph. God changed his heart. What I love about Joseph is that was had decided he was going to quietly break the engagement…to save both his and her face. But when the angel of the Lord came to Him and told him to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife. He immediately obeyed.  He didn’t sit there and question God. The moment he woke up he did what the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. Once he took Mary to be his wife they left and you know the story…Mary gave birth to a son and they names his Jesus. Jesus came into the world to save us from our sins. He was born to die. Mary saw  her son hang on a cross…but he gave his life to save man from our sins. He died, rose, ascended and is coming back again. Jesus, the Son of God, came of earth as a man (fully human, fully God). God used a simple girl with great faith to bring forth the Savior of the world.

Yes, God could have used anyone. His perfect plans will not be thwarted. But think about it…without Moses' mom we don’t have Moses who freed the Isralites, with Hannah we don’t have Samuel who anointed King David whom Jesus was to come from his line. Without Mary and Joseph’s obedience (because Joseph was from the line of David) we don’t have Jesus. I am just taken back by the beauty of surrender. I bet all three of these woman had plans for “their” lives. But I bet they were nothing in comparison to being apart of God’s story. It didn’t always mean the road was easy. The trajectory of each of their lives changed in a moment…but I bet they wouldn’t have changed it for the world.