My Baby Promise: In Due time

Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. (1 Samuel 1:2 NIV)

Dear Father, for a long time now, I have been labeled as 'the one with no child.' In my family, peer group, and office, and even in church, almost all my batch mates have children, except my wife and I.

So Father, only You can change this.

But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. (1 Samuel 1:5 NIV)

Receiving a double portion is fine and wonderful. But what good is it if I can’t enjoy it with my own child?

Oh, dear Lord, please open my wife's womb. I am done asking why it is this way, but by Your grace, You have stretched my faith to ask you instead to open my wife's womb.

Oh Lord, You are always good. There are things I don't fully understand, but it doesn't mean You have been unkind. Just because my wife has not been pregnant all this time doesn't mean You are unkind. But You have given us this promise, not to tease us, but for You to fulfill as our hearts get prepared for it.

Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. (1 Samuel 1:6 NIV)

And Lord, this does not escape your attention, that because we are childless, our antagonists bully us and make fun of us. But for whatever reason they may have to provoke us, it really doesn't matter. What truly matters is that You come and end our childlessness.

Oh Lord, for the glory of Your name, for the honor of Your reputation, please open my wife's womb. Be glorified and worshiped by causing my wife to conceive.

This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. (1 Samuel 1:7 NIV)

My Lord, I keep on coming back here to this same thing, year after year after year. Sometimes, I forget what I started believing in the first place, and just see the taunting and provoking. Dear Lord, I don't want to lose sight of your promise. I want to move on from here... with our baby in my arms.

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.” (1 Samuel 1:10, 11 NIV)

And so Lord, here I am, praying in deep anguish and bitter weeping. Please look on me and my wife, your servants, with favor, and feel our misery. Remember us, oh Lord, and give us a baby.

My Lord and my God, all that I am is Yours. We are all yours. The child to be born to us is Yours. We are all yours all the days of our lives. With child or not, we are still Yours, now and forever.

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. So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” (1 Samuel 1:19-20 NIV)

Oh Lord, I will never slack in worshiping you. I go early to my church service hour, I will arise and prepare my heart for worship. And as my wife and I get together, please remember us.

How wonderful can it be that after praying this, in nine months hereon I'll have a baby! Hallelujah!

Dear Father, in due time, please cause my wife to conceive. This is something that only You can do.

Please remember our plea, our request, our petition, this very thing that we ask of you. And we know we have asked the right Person. Oh Father, we ask for our very own 'Samuel' - a baby as answer to our prayers for you are the God who hears.

And because you are a very mindful Father - you do not forget, nor would you ignore us – so then we will have a baby.

Hannah’s Epilogue:

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there. (1 Samuel 1:27-28 NIV)

Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. (1 Samuel 2:19-21 NIV)

The Curse of the Thief

I n the middle of audit week, our company accountants decided not to show up. As it turned out, they embezzled some money. What struck me the most was that the people who did it were not strangers; they were like mothers and aunts. We saw them almost every day, smile at them, laugh with them, and made plans together. As part of the management team, we ate out and had a friendly good time. It was heartbreaking to realize that the people in the news for some criminal activity had the same profile as those that I had warm and cuddly relations with. But loyalty goes up. My love for God supersedes any other relationship. I feel sad, yes, but I have no inkling to cover for them. If anything, I am upset because I was this close to them, and yet, clueless. My colleagues and I were mixed emotions. On one hand, we felt betrayed. The suspects were like family. We confided in them and planned activities with them in all sincerity and warmth. But maybe, just maybe, they were truthful and sincere...

I choose not to be a wandering star. I stay in my orbit.

(Jude 1:13) The Lord God is my center, and this is expressed thru my local church. I evolve and revolve in and around my church family.

Bishopric and Episkopé: The Ministry of Visitation

The KJV word is bishoprick , which is now archaic in spelling. Most Bible translators didn’t use the modern spelling ‘ bishopric,’ and that, for a good reason. #Acts1v20 For it is written in the book of Psalms: “Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell in it.”, and, “His bishopric, let another take.” A quick google search shows that bishopric means: the office or rank of a bishop. · a district under a bishop's control; a diocese. But looking closely at the Greek word, episkopé, reveals a deeper meaning: a visiting, an overseeing [Strong's]. Here's the kicker: bishopric k is not a desk job; it's fieldwork. An excellent, Spirit-filled bishop or pastor performs the act of visitation. How does one effectively "oversee" a flock? By being with them, by being among them. When God calls one to be a pastor of a people, the expectation is not like that of a manager who stays in the offic...

Psalm 16

Read the Whole Bible in 0ne Year. See Other Bible Versions for Fresh Insight. [The King Version for this chapter is coming soon…]

Genesis 15

After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram. I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward.” 2 And Abram said, “ Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, to me You have given no seed; and look, one born in my house is my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the L ORD came to him, saying, “This will not be your heir; but he that will come forth out of your own body will be your heir.” 5 And he brought him forth outside, and said, “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So will your seed be.” 6 And he believed in the L ORD ; and He counted it to him for righteousness. 7 And He said to him, “ I am the L ORD that brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.” 8 A...

The Christmas of Mangers and Feeding Boxes

A manger is a cattle's feeding box The cliché: Jesus was born in a manger. As a city boy, I find it cruel to know that someone has to give birth or be born in such gruesome conditions. I thought even homeless folks could go to a public hospital for that. But as it was, this happened to Joseph and Mary, and the baby boy Jesus. Background: The first census mandated everyone to go back to their hometowns for registration. Mary was already on her 9th month - on her 40th week, due for labor. And yet, they have got to go and obey the decree. I guess disobedience would be fatal. But don't pregnant women hurt themselves when they travel out for a long time? Either way was fatal. Mary just sat there, on a camel or a donkey, and she would feel those birth pains, and it was aggravated by the bumps on the way. It would have been hot by day, and cold at night. And still they went. How far was it then? How many straight hours or days did it take? Each bump is a discomfort ...

The Seed Principle

The Bible is our reference for Christian Economics and financial progress. The Word of God is full of revelations concerning prosperity waiting to be uncovered by every generous child of the Father. And it all starts with a seed. Image courtesy of www.shutterstock.com Spiritual Seeds God’s Word is a seed. The farmer sows the word. (Mark 4:14 GWT) When we share the Gospel, the Holy Spirit uses the Bible verses that we have planted into people’s hearts to convict them of their need of a Savior. Sometimes, we reap a harvest of souls in just hours (or less). Other times, it takes days, weeks, months and years before these people surrender to the love of God. And there are also times when we will reap a harvest from other seed-planters. They heard the word of God somewhere, grew in their hearts, and now, with your ministry – they are ready to become disciples of Christ. Faith is a seed. “…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mou...

My Baby Promise: God Will Do This For Me

(Luke 1:25) The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people. (NIV) Dear Lord, You did it for Elizabeth and Zechariah, you can also do it for my wife and I. Show us Your favor, oh Lord, and cause my wife to conceive. Oh my Lord, we don't want to be swayed by public opinion, but even so, the people get to talk about us. They make our childlessness a joke, and it hurts! So Lord, please, just as You helped Elizabeth and Zechariah of old, help us also, today. Please take away this reproach of childlessness. But we won't let this be the motivation of our faith. We focus on your kindness and favor instead. Yes, Lord, I am convinced, knowing Your personality and character, You really want to do this for us! You are so gracious and kind. And people will know that it was You, only You. Not the doctors, not medicine, but You - You will do this for us! Be glorified in giving us this testimony o...

Worldwide Cleansing

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not always strive with man, for that he is also flesh; yet his days will be a hundred and twenty (120) years.” 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it regretted the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. 7 And the Lord said, “ I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and th...

My Top 3 Life Principles

Once, a scholar asked, “Mentor, which is the greatest principle of life?” The Master replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest principle. And the second is like it: 'Love others as yourself.' All life-giving principles are based on these two.” (see Matthew 22:36-40) Love God, Love self and others, and Obey God. This metonymy was derived from the Lifebook, the Book of Principles – the Holy Bible . Who has a better say on life principles than the Author of life Himself? King Solomon’s take was this: Fear God and keep His commands, for this is the whole duty of man . (see Ecclesiastes 12:13) So now, my Top 3 List of Life Principles is complete: Love God, Love myself and others, and Obey God. Life begins and ends with God. My life principle #1: Love God with all that I am. How do I love God? By spending time with Him. I have le...

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