Nougat 27

Siblings,

There are moments when we can’t seem to see anything good going on in our lives. At those times, it may even feel like we’re God’s outside child. We might find ourselves, like Jesus, asking: ’My God, My God! Why have You forsaken me?’. You might even remember Lorna’s testimony, and wonder if only special people get God’s blessings. If so, I invite us to hold on to Today’s Holy Nougat

1 Samuel 1:5-6 NLT

[5] And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children.

[6] So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children.

Whose Timing, Whose Plan

I tell you siblings, it’sa Master of timing. The challenge is that we often have set a timer for our agenda and imposed that on whatever agenda God might have in store. Far often, not necessarily always, we make plans without including God in the process. That’s what Proverbs 16:9 speaks to.

Self-Check

– Do we make the effort to include the Lord and the Lord’s opinions in our plans?

– What do we do when the go awry?

Application

Hannah was Elkanah’s favored wife. We don’t know if it was a Jacob situation that led to him being married twice. But certainly, the rivalry between the two women wasn’t helped by each having what the other desired from the relationship. Peninah, despite her fertility which was considered a great blessing in those days, did not have her husband’s love. Hannah, though loved by Elkanah, was barren. Life sometimes is like that for many of us.

There was something else in Hannah’s favour. God was in the midst of her story. Just as God is in our individual and collective stories. At that point in her life, it didn’t seem to be in a good way (at that time, Hannah had no idea of what God’s plans were). Despite what things looked like, one fact remained true – God did not permit Hannah to have a child.

Twice we’re told in those two consecutive verses comprising our Nougat, that YHWH had closed her womb. That’s extremely hard to hear. We’re not told that she was barren, rather, it is YHWH, the God Whose name ought not be repeated has closed her womb. Before getting all het up, it is worth considering that why question. Why has YHWH closed her womb? It could not be to add to her frustration and humiliation, though it might have felt like that initially.

But obviously, YHWH has a plan.

When our situation seems all unraveled, we must take heart in the knowledge that YHWH has a plan for our situation. We might need to encourage ourselves with the reminder that in the lives of God’s beloved, ‘all things work together for good’ (see Romans 8:28). And it’s all working according to God’s total plan, not only for tis moment. We may need to consider Whose timer we’re using. If it’s our timer, things may truly be off-kilter. However God’s timetable is an entirely different matter.

Assignment

As we face this new week, new season (or the continuation of the old), I pray we recognize that God’s timing and plans are often different from our own.

May we find encouragement in God to carry us through.

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May all we seek be found in Christ