21 Days: Day 11

Be Hope church. It's prayer and fasting season, and I hope that God has been meeting you and touching your heart in ways that only he can. My name is Hannah and I get to work with student ministry here at our Beavercreek campus. In this season, we have been focusing on God's provision and acknowledging the ways that he has provided for people within the Bible and for us within our own lives.

You see, God is the ultimate provider in every circumstance, and our job is to seek the ways that God provides for us. So today, we're going to be diving into Hannah's story, which takes place in first Samuel one. And at the beginning of her story, we see that she's facing this emotional pain because Hannah is barren, and due to her inability to have children, she's frustrated and she's discouraged.

Hannah is longing for something only God can give her, which is a child. But even through Hannah's trial, she doesn't turn away from God, but she turns toward God. Hannah's response is full surrender to God. And so Hannah goes to the temple, which is this place where people would offer prayers and worship to the Lord. And this is what it says in verses ten and eleven.

Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord, and she made this vow, O Lord of heaven's armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer, and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. And in response to this, God, in all of his kindness, hears her. He answers her prayer.

And Hannah gives birth to her son Samuel, whose name means heard of God. You see, God didn't just provide for Hannah, but his provision was so intentional because that's how God works. And I think the most beautiful part of this is the same God that did this for Hannah is the same God that's answering your prayers and providing for you.

And I know this because I have been met with God's intentional provision time and time again. And specifically, about a year ago, I woke up with this excruciating neck pain that turned into this neck injury and I wasn't able to move. And I had dealt with neck pain in the past, but this was different and I was really frustrated.

But like Hannah, I knew that my God was bigger than this. See, in the Bible there are numerous names of God and when we call on them, things change. The name Jehovah Rapha means the God who heals. And let me just tell you, I was so determined for my healing that every single day I would speak the name of Jehovah Rapha and God,

A few days later met me quite literally with this story in the book of Mark, and it's about this woman who had been bleeding for 12 years and she sees Jesus in this large crowd, and she believes if she could just touch the hem of his garment, that she would be healed. And so she touches it and she's instantly healed and Jesus turns to her.

And this is what he says, daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over. And what really stuck out to me about Jesus, his words, is that her healing came by her faith. And so in this moment, I knew that I needed bigger faith to believe that God wasn't possibly going to provide me healing, but he was going to provide me healing.

And so the days after this, I would wake up and I would reread the story throughout the day, and I would declare the faith of the bleeding woman over my life. And a few days later, I woke up and the neck pain was completely gone. I was able to move and God had provided me healing. God works through faith.

We see that in Hannah’s story. We see that in the bleeding woman's story. And I experienced that within my own story. We have access to these miraculous stories of the ways God has provided. But to me, I don't always think that we fully grasp that that's the same God who's providing for us each and every day. And so even as I was preparing this devotion, I didn't really think I had a story of God's provision.

And as I was journaling to the Lord, he gave me these words, Lord, give me the eyes to see the ways that you have provided for me. And so my challenge to you is to speak these words, to write these words down whatever you want to do, but fill a journal with the ways that God has provided, the ways that God is providing.

And fill your journal with all of those things. Because no matter how big, no matter how small, each and every one of God's provisions is so precious, and it's so important that we hold them close to our hearts. Let's pray God thank you that you are the ultimate provider. Thank you that we can have faith that no matter what we're facing, no matter how we're feeling in the moment, when something seems like it's scary or we're not going to find the answer, God, that you're going to provide every single time.

God, I pray that you would give us bold faith. I pray that you would strengthen our faith to know that every single time you're going to come through in your perfect way. And may we trust in the ways that you provide in Jesus name, Amen.