And God granted his request

The mother of Jabez had an unusual experience with birthing Jabez. She translated this pain into the name of her son, “Jabez” meaning pain (1 Chronicles 4:9). All of his life, Jabez lived with this name reflecting his mother’s pain. This might sound a bit weird in some cultures but growing up in Ghana, some of the Akan communities had similar naming cultures. I heard of people whose names translated as “suffering”, “refuse dump” among many other weird names reflecting the circumstances surrounding their birth. Some of these people grew up and refused to be called by the names their parents gave them because of the connotations.

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.‭‭ (1 Chronicles‬ ‭4:10‬)

Jabez was no ordinary person. In fact, his story came in the midst of a long genealogical list. His story was so unique that there needed to be a page break to insert his story. 1 Chronicles‬ ‭4:9‬ ‭begins with this:
“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” However Jabez did not allow the pain to define his life. Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. (‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭4:10‬). Jabez was very specific with his request. He prayed for blessing, he prayed for enlargement, he prayed for God’s protection and he prayed to be kept from harm. The painful destiny of Jabez was changed with that simple prayer request.

Maybe your story is different from that of Jabez but you have also encountered pain in different aspects of your life. Your childhood might have been filled with experiences of rejection, abuse, bullying and discrimination. It is possible to grow up in pain knowing that these experiences have shaped the course of your childhood. You can live in pain for the rest of your life or like Jabez, free yourself from all the pain. It begins with acknowledging the impact of your painful experiences and making a conscious effort to pray the pain out of your life. Jabez could have just blamed his mother for his woes but he went straight to God to change his destiny. Today, let’s present our case before God and ask Him to heal our heart from pain and change our painful circumstances. If we pray this genuinely from our hearts, God will grant our requests.

He will provide “Samuel”

The story of Hannah as recorded in the book of 1 Samuel is a reminder that God hears. Hannah was married to Elkanah who according to scripture loved her so much that he would always give her a double portion of meat to sacrifice. Peninnah, the other wife of Elkanah, had children but Hannah was barren. Unfortunately, Peninnah kept provoking Hannah until Hannah would not eat. It was obviously not fun at the house of Elkanah and poor Hannah might have cried her eyes out daily. Many people going through diverse challenges in life are like Hannah. Their pains are exacerbated by those around them who should have shown them love. Hannah dealt with this issue until one day, while the family travelled to Shiloh, Hannah decided to present her case to the Lord. ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭1:10‭-‬11‬ ‭records the state of Hannah’s heart and the prayer she prayed:

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.”

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 ‭1:20‬)

This heartfelt prayer was repeated over and over again and Eli the priest thought Hannah was drunk. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard (‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭1:13‬). Have you ever prayed an intense heartfelt prayer? How was the experience and what made you pray such a prayer? For Hannah, she needed a child and when Eli realized that she was not drunk but pouring her heart to the Lord, He said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”‭‭ (1 Samuel‬ ‭1:17‬). After their service in Shiloh was over, “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).

Imagine the joy and happiness! Hannah’s single heart desire was fulfilled. Her Samuel arrived in grand style. Her heartfelt prayer at Shiloh yielded a son, just as she prayed for. Hannah presented Samuel back to the Lord after the boy had been weaned. Hannah went back to Shiloh and told Eli, “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). After Hannah presented Samuel to the Lord, 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 ‭2:21‬).

The story of Hannah is a simple reminder that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond what we can even think of. Hannah prayed for “Samuel” and ended up having additional three sons and two girls. What is your request? What is your desire? No matter how you have been taunted by men, present your case before the Lord. He is faithful. Don’t just be overwhelmed with grief, pray until you see something happen. The “Peninnahs” will always be around to make you feel uncomfortable. Like Hannah, carry your matter to the Lord in prayer. Be positioned for deliverance and be ready to take the necessary steps of faith. God is able and your story will change if you don’t give up!

A wife for Isaac: A divine provision to a prayer request

Abraham’s son of promise was not going to marry any woman. Isaac himself had no choice in choosing a wife. His father wanted the best for him so he (Abraham) sent his most trusted servant for this task. If this sounds strange to you, even more strange was the servant’s approach to finding a wife for Isaac. The union of marriage has lost most of its glories in the 21st century. It is either a big wedding with no marriage counselling, people signing prenuptial agreements, people marrying to satisfy their selfish needs among many others. Yet, in many other cultures, marriage is still revered and parents have a huge impact on the choice of spouse and even in the planning of the wedding or marriage ceremony. For Abraham, Isaac’s wife was expected to come from a particular nation, and a specific family.

In Genesis‬ 24:2‭-‬4‬, Abraham told his senior servant: “He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.” This outrageous request led the servant to Aram Naharaim, to the town of Nahor. Without delay, the servant did what he had seen Abraham do all these years. He prayed to God to provide a wife for Isaac. This was his prayer: “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭24:12‭-‬14‬).

The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.” “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭24:17‭-‬19‬)

Does God care about who Isaac marries? Does God care about who you marry? Is God interested in getting spouses for believers? Let’s consider what happened after the servant prayed. Genesis‬ ‭24:15‭-‬16‬ ‭states that “Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.” The servant requested water from Rebekah and this was her response: “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.” (Genesis‬ ‭24:18‭-‬20‬). Just to explain how much work Rebekah did, the servant took along 10 camels (Genesis 24:10) and each camel can drink up to 20 gallons of water at a time. So, Rebekah possibly fetched about 200 gallons of water for the camels alone!

The servant ultimately became successful in his journey. Rebekah agreed to follow him to marry Isaac, and Rebekah’s family supported this decision. This story points to the fact that God is interested in your marriage and in who you marry. He made everything possible for the servant to encounter the right woman. Remember, the servant on his part, prayed and trusted God. Rebekah on her part diligently fetched enough water to satisfy the servant and the camels. God’s provision does not mean we should relax and do nothing. We need to be prayerful and proactive. If you are trusting God for a spouse this year, God is a provider but He will not cause you to sleep and provide an Eve for you. You need to put your faith into action. Be careful of red flags and don’t compromise your godly principles. I am praying with you, may God grant you the man/woman of His own heart. We shall celebrate your victory! Congratulations in advance!

Your prayer shall be answered

When we receive answers to our prayers, the feeling is so great. However, there are times that we have to pray and wait and pray and wait again for answers to our prayers. There are some prayer topics we pray for a day, others for weeks, some for months and yet we have others we have prayed about for years. What do you do when it feels like your prayers are not being heard and answered. Elizabeth and her husband, Zachariah were in a similar situation. According to ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:6‭-‬7‬, both Elizabeth and Zachariah were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. This righteous couple waited for a child and the wait became so long until they became very old. However, one day, Zachariah had an angelic visitation that changed their narrative. What lessons can we learn from Elizabeth and Zachariah’s story? Let’s consider a few.

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. (‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:13‬)

Prayer without ceasing: 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭admonishes us to pray continually. Other versions say, pray without ceasing. We don’t stop praying when the answers are not forthcoming. We should always and on a daily basis put fire (prayer) on our altar. Even if the reports are bleak, we should still pray. Jesus, our perfect example began His ministry with prayer and ended it on the cross with prayer. Our prayers shouldn’t be motivated by feelings and emotions. We should just pray until we see results and even after we see the results we should continually pray to sustain it. Zachariah and Elizabeth were advanced in years, their biological clocks were ticking reminding them of old age, yet they were still praying. Never cease praying, if what you desire is in the will of God, it will surely happen only if you don’t give up.

Believe that God will answer prayers: Many of us spend lots of time praying about particular situations but in reality we don’t even believe that God is able to fix those situations. Jesus, being aware of our unbelief, stated in ‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:24‬ ‭that whatever we ask for in prayer, we should believe that we have received it, and it will be yours. The truth is God hears our mouth and our hearts when we pray. Since our hearts speak what we really want, if our mouths are praying something else other than what’s in our hearts, the Lord listens to our hearts. Zachariah and Elizabeth were genuine and righteous people. They genuinely desired for a child and that was their prayer for most of their married life. In ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:13‬, during ministerial duty at the temple, Zachariah had an angelic visitation. Angel Gabriel appeared to Zachariah and told him this: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.” This was the answer Zachariah and Elizabeth had been waiting for years, yet when Zachariah heard this, he asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”‭‭ (Luke‬ ‭1:18‬). What assurance was Zachariah looking for? The angel told him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” (Luke 1:19-20). Zachariah’s unbelief led to muteness and his mouth only opened again after he confirmed the name of the baby. When you pray, believe that God is able to do it!

Be expectant: One way to stay in line with our prayer requests is to be expectant of the answers. Expectation will lead you to do the necessary things. For example, imagine if Zachariah and Elizabeth had stopped having intimacy because they were waiting for God to give them a child, your guess is good as mine. Revamp your life, be ready to walk the steps that lead to victory. If you want God to help you pass your exams, you just don’t sleep. Be committed to studying and preparing. If you want insight into the word of God, you don’t wait until Sunday to look for your Bible. Expectation necessitates activities geared towards the blessing.

Patient in waiting: While you wait, there is a high likelihood of becoming impatient and having it your own way. Do you remember Sarah and Abraham’s choice of Hagar while they were waiting? This impatience caused Abraham’s descendents to be at loggerheads with each other, a battle that is still ongoing even after thousands of years. Zachariah and Elizabeth were aware of aging yet they did not cease to hold on to God. Through the advancement in science and technology, there are many ways people are able to receive their miracles. Even with that, it is important to be patient and trust God to make the process successful. Unfortunately, in many developing countries, the issue of childlessness in marriages has mostly been blamed on women and sometimes some men go ahead to secretly have children outside of their marriages committing adultery in the process.

As we wait for answers to our prayers, we should know that God wants the best for His children. When you receive what you have waited for, don’t forget to return all glory back to Him. Throw a praise party and celebrate the goodness of the Lord. When Elizabeth finally got pregnant, this was her testimony: “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favour and taken away my disgrace among the people.” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:25‬). Keep on praying, keep on believing, be expectant and be patient because your case has been settled in Heaven.

Rhoda: Responding to our answered prayers

There are times when we have such expectations that when we receive what we want, our first reaction is to verify whether we are daydreaming or if it is real. The question is, “how can we be so expectant for our prayers to be answered and yet, so fast to doubt when we receive mind-blowing answered prayers?” From the previous post, we see how Peter and the rest of the disciples prayed for the release of Peter from Herod’s prison. However, when God sent an angel to release Peter, his first reaction was that he was seeing a vision. How could that be? Peter was overwhelmed by the manner at which the Lord chose to rescue him. You would expect that the church that was earnestly praying to God for Peter (Acts 12:5) would have also been in expectations of seeing him while they prayed. Neither Peter nor the church was prepared for the miraculous release of Peter. In this post, we shall consider the release of Peter and how Rhoda and the disciples bring to light what we pray for and what we really expect.

Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” (Acts 12:13‭-‬14)

As the disciples prayed earnestly in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, God sent an angel to release Peter from Prison. Peter’s release wasn’t conventional. He wasn’t set free by the judge or Herod. Peter’s release was miraculous. Peter was kept in a maximum security prison and any attempt to stow away Peter wasn’t going to work. Therefore, right in the maximum prison, the God who is not bound by doors and prison guards miraculously rescued Peter by leading him through the gates. The angel of God rescued Peter and the angel didn’t vanish with Peter. In fact, “they passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him” (Acts 12:10). All this time, the church was in prayer trusting God for Peter’s release. God answered their prayers speedily. When this had dawned on Peter that he had been saved by God, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying (Acts 12:12). When Peter arrived, he knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door (Acts 12:13).

What would you expect? The church was praying for Peter’s release and right at the entrance of the prayer meeting was Peter. He had been released! Rhoda was definitely mesmerized. She was overwhelmed and couldn’t believe that their prayers had been answered speedily. Instead of letting Peter into the house, Rhoda did the least expected: “When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!””Acts 12:14). In case Rhoda was young and inexperienced, you would have expected that the people praying for Peter’s release would have jumped at Rhoda’s statement and rushed to the door. Well, the opposite happened! The expectant and prayerful disciples blatantly told Rhoda: “You’re out of your mind” and “when she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” (Acts 12:15). How ridiculous? I don’t know how long the disciples had prayed for Peter’s release but were they not expecting to see him? Were they expecting a different approach to Peter’s release? Rhoda was overjoyed to hear Peter but the rest of the disciples were not even expecting an immediate answer to their prayer.

Before you condemn either Rhoda or the disciples, know that for most of us, our first response to answered prayer is doubt, surprise and unbelief. When we receive the same thing we spend hours, days, months and sometimes years praying for, our first response is, “hope this is real” and our second response is “hope I am not dreaming.” While Rhoda was insisting that she heard Peter, the disciples were sure that Rhoda was out of her mind or had seen Peter’s angel. The answer to their prayer request was the release of Peter. This same Peter kept on knocking, and when the disciples opened the door and saw him, they were astonished (Acts 12:16). Imagine the joy on their faces, the delight they had and the fulfillment of knowing that their prayers had been answered faster than they expected. While they rejoiced for Peter’s release, Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place (Acts 12:17). 

Peter’s last statement before he left seems to imply that this prayer meeting was organized by the lay members of the church. James (the brother of Jesus), the other brothers (possibly the apostles) and sisters (possibly the influential women in the church) were not at this ‘hot fire’ prayer meeting. One lesson we can learn from this is the fact that the call to prayer is not the special duty of the church leadership. We are all expected to pray in the good times and bad times. 

When we pray, we should be expecting feedback. When God answers our prayers faster than we expect, instead of expressing doubts and concerns about the reality of the answered prayers, we should be discerning enough to know that with God, all things are possible. Rhoda’s overjoy closed the door to the answered prayer. The disciples’ unbelief delayed in opening the door to their answered prayer. There are doors that God had already opened for us, but our immaturity and doubt have led us to wander around for years. Today, let your response to your answered prayer be, “Lord, I believe.” 

The persistent widow: Understanding the power of persistent prayer

Widows are vulnerable people in most societies across the world. In certain cultures, the death of the husband leaves so much void that renders the widow and the children helpless. Although developed countries have systems and structures that allow the spouse and children of a deceased person to live in a free and fair society, the case is different in developing countries without laws that postulate what should be done if a spouse dies without a Will. If widowhood still has attendant challenges in the 21st century, imagine 2000 years ago. The widows who lived in the time of Jesus and even before Jesus was born, faced similar challenges of vulnerability, loneliness, poverty, rejection and (sometimes) societal stigmatization. Jesus understood all these challenges and ceased the opportunity to be a blessing to some widows such as the widow of Nain. This post will consider the story (parable) of a widow that the Lord Jesus shared with His disciples to show them that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1).

Parables were one of ways Jesus taught profound truth to His disciples and followers. Luke 18:1-5 records the parable of the persistent widow:
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ”

First, the focus of this parable is to teach the disciples that “they should always pray and not give up.”

The main characters in this parable were a judge and a widow. The judge, according to Jesus, “neither feared God nor cared what people thought.” We can consider the widow’s attributes from the introductory paragraph. Thus, on the levels of power and authority, the judge was powerful and the widow was powerless. To even make matters worse, the judge was fearless of God and careless of what society or people thought of him. How do you approach a man who has no regard for God and man? The widow depicted the people with no power nor influence. She had no one to help her and she didn’t have money to probably get a lawyer. From the face value of the case, the widow stood no chance of winning. How can a helpless woman convince a Self-centered, careless and godless judge? All odds were against her. The case could have been just closed because there were a lot of barriers that prevented the widow from assessing the right judgement. Most of us would have given up. How do you fight a pointless battle? How do you win a case when the odds are against you?

The hearers of Jesus would have expected the widow to give up on the case. The adversary could have taken what was rightfully hers. However, this widow did not give up and her persistence gave the story a new dimension. According to Jesus, “there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’”. The widow did not stop after the first, second, third or even the tenth attempt. She made it a habit. She “kept coming to him” for as long as the judge had not given her the answer. The judge kept putting her off as he did and “for some time he refused” to help. But the rejection and refusal did not deter this widow from going to the judge over and over and over again. The widow’s persistence was visible and even the wicked judge could not hold back. Finally the judge said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!” The wicked judge had a change of heart because of the widow’s persistent visits.

What lessons do we learn from this parable? Let consider Luke 18: 6-8:
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

According to Jesus, God (who is a just judge) will bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night. We need to understand what Jesus said, the chosen ones cry day and night. This also implies that prayer is a lifestyle for the chosen ones: day and night. There are also specific prayer topics we pray for a long time. Sometimes, we tend to believe that God does not care because we have prayed for that thing for such a long time. We need to know that God cares and He always answers us. Sometimes, His answer is YES, sometimes, His answer is NO and sometimes, His answer is WAIT or LATER. Usually, we expect a YES so whatever comes other than YES is not considered.

Another lesson Jesus teaches is that God will see that the chosen ones who cry to Him get justice, and quickly. Now the question we tend to ask is how soon is “quickly?” The truth is God will always grant justice to His children. Sometimes our perception of justice is limited to the here and now. Definitely, we will be vindicated while on earth, but better still, we will have an eternal glory that far outweighs the pain of the present.

The other lesson we will draw from this post is the faith to persevere. Jesus asked His disciples, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Are we ready to go the extra mile in PUSHing (Pray Until Something Happens)? The widow was not deterred by the judge. She kept going and going believing that the judge would hear her out. The widow had faith in an unjust judge. What about the worshippers of a just God?

Prayer is not a quick fix to humanity’s problems. Prayerfulness is the lifestyle of the believer. We need to develop consistency and persistence in our prayer lives. We need to also understand that when we pray, the answer is not always YES. Remember, YES, NO and WAIT are possible answers. WAIT doesn’t mean God loves you less. While you wait, continue to pray, continue to build yourself and continue to hold on to your faith.

The mother of Jabez: The woman who named her son “Pain”

Naming patterns in the Bible mostly reflected a state of mind, a situation (good or bad), a blessing, a divine direction among many others. While it seems that most names were given by the fathers, there are also instances in both the Old and New Testaments where mothers gave names to their children.  We saw how Rachel named her son Ben-Oni (son of my trouble) but Jacob, the husband of Rachel changed the name to Benjamin (son of my right hand). Similarly, the wife of Phinehas gave birth in deep distress and named the son Ichabod (the glory had departed from Israel). These examples show mothers who transferred their pain and distress to their newborn babies. On the contrary  mothers such as Hannah cried to God for a child and when she finally became pregnant and gave birth to a son she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” Samuel became a great prophet of the Lord. In this post, we shall consider another mother who got the opportunity to name her son but gave the son a name according to her current situation. 

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” (1 Chronicles 4:9)

The Bible does not give the name of this woman. We shall call her the mother of Jabez or Mama Jabez. We are not informed of the occupation of Mama Jabez, nor do we know the nature of trouble or pain Mama Jabez faced. However,  the story of Jabez was so important to the chronicler that in the list of different names being mentioned, there was the need for a break. The break was necessary because of the unusual story of Jabez. The descendants of Judah included Jabez. Now this is the story of Jabez as presented in 1 Chronicles 4:9, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” First,  we identify that the name Jabez means Pain and this pain was experienced by the mother. Mama Jabez went through a situation that made life uncomfortable. It could have been birth pains, losing a loved one, or even the difficulty of having another child, husband maltreatment among many others. It is highly unlikely that the baby brought all the pain on Mama Jabez. However,  the best name Mama Jabez could give to a newborn is PAIN. This definitely sounds ridiculous and is quite unfortunate. It is like saying that you went into labour while seated on the potty so the child born should be called Potty. The reason behind Mama Jabez’ intentions is flawed. She was only interested in herself, not the destiny of the baby. She passed on her pain to the child. 

Imagine the boy Jabez growing up and being called Pain. The pain of hearing that your name is Pain in itself is painful. Jabez must have been mocked, ridiculed, and rejected by many. Afterall, who wants to be associated with Pain. The emotional trauma of bearing a name that only brings pain is unpleasant. Mama Jabez left a good son in the destiny of pain and for many years, Jabez had to deal with the pain of his name. We are not told whether Mama Jabez was alive as at the time Jabez prayed his prayer of liberation. Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. He was obviously a fine gentleman and a lover of God. Jabez knew that the curse of his name had become a snare on his life. So, Jabez prayed. He cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain” (1 Chronicles 4:10a). Jabez knew that to advance beyond his painful experiences and name, he needed the blessing of God. He prayed for blessing and enlargement; pain brings sadness and stagnation. He prayed for the hand of God to be on him; curses invite evil spirits and unfortunate incidents. He prayed to be kept from harm; pain makes one liable to more pain and resentment. Jabez also prayed that he will be free from pain; names have powerful effects to influence one’s life and destiny. 1 Chronicles 4:10b states that, “And God granted his request.”

Mama Jabez was definitely in error to name her son Pain. However, Jabez did not glorify the mother’s error. He nullified it. The prayer of Jabez is an indication that we can change evil destinies by prayer.

Hannah’s Psalm: There’s no one holy as the Lord!

There are times that God drops a song of worship in my heart. This does not happen all the time but mostly after a moment of praise and worship. Sometimes, the song would be a Psalm in the Bible and at other times, the song would be words of worship. In such spontaneous worship experiences, I hardly record the lyrics of the songs. I tend to forget the songs after some days. When our inner man is filled with worship, sometimes it comes forth as a new song. The songs that are received directly after a moment of spending quality time with the Lord tend to be an outburst of divine worship. Our worship flows from a heart of gratitude and admiration. We know for sure that only God could have done what He chose to do. The knowledge of that brings us to our knees. Be mindful when you receive spontaneous worship songs. It could be recorded and kept as a memorial of worship. 

Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. (1 Samuel 2:1)

Hannah, our focus of study, had been through the lows and the highs of life. She was so much loved by her husband but she remained a barren woman until she presented her case at Shiloh. The Lord remembered her and gave her a son. Hannah vowed to return the son to the Lord and she did just that as soon as the boy Samuel was weaned (see 1 Samuel 1). The atmosphere at Shiloh wouldn’t have been like previous years. Peninnah had no reason to mock Hannah and Hannah had every reason to worship. Hannah was the woman who had been favoured. She had received mercy and love. She prayed for a son and the Lord gave her just that. Her garment of shame was taken away and a garment of worship was placed on her. Hannah’s attitude was that of gratitude. She had none but received so much. In such an atmosphere of worship, Hannah prayed and said: 

“My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (1 Samuel 2:1‭-‬10).

Hannah’s Psalm gives paradoxical situations such as the ‘barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.’ Hannah understood that God’s power makes human intelligence naught. She understood that it is not by strength that one prevails. Surely, Hannah’s personal experiences point to the fact that “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” God humbles and he exalts and as we saw, the pride of Peninnah was broken and Hannah was exalted. Her Samuel was no ordinary child. No one knows the names of Peninnah’s many children. They were so insignificant in history. Hannah’s Samuel was no ordinary son. He was a priest,  a prophet, a judge, a kingmaker, and most importantly a man of God. Hannah’s dedication of Samuel to the Lord, opened more doors of motherhood to her. “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 2:21).

Hannah gave Samuel to the Lord and worshipped before the Lord in Shiloh. The Lord received one son from Hannah and blessed her with five more children. It was a one for five affair. Imagine if Hannah had just held on to Samuel. Hannah’s Psalm points to the Lord our timeless rock. Yes, He has become our salvation and our song. 

Hannah: Presenting Samuel back to the Lord

Have you ever received a blessing that suddenly became a stumbling block to serving God? I have heard of people who prayed for specific blessings from God and when they received those blessings, the same people stopped serving God and even stopped attending church services. When they were contacted, their reply was that the same blessing they prayed for had kept them too busy to even have time to serve God and go to church.  I don’t believe God gives stumbling blocks as blessings. Our own attitudes sometimes hinder us from serving God with the same blessing we have received. At other times, if we go ahead of God and find our own way, what we so much desire could end up leaving us colder in faith. If you are not ready to handle the consequences of what you are asking for, then don’t ask for it. For every blessing comes with a new level of commitment. Until you give God all your all even in your most blessed state, the same blessing will lead you astray from God. In 2 Kings 20, king Hezekiah asked for long life but he failed to be sensitive in what he did in those added years. The result was disastrous. Even the son born during that time to him, was the worst king ever. 

When we understand that every new level comes with new challenges, we are not overwhelmed but we live in readiness. Hannah’s story so far has demonstrated faith in God. Hannah’s commitment to God even as she prayed for a son was that that son will be given back to God. She made that vow and was committed to it. She knew the pain of letting go of her only son. But, a vow must be kept. After Samuel was born, the family continued their annual trip to Shiloh to worship. 1 Samuel 1:21-23 state this:
“When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.” “Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.”

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)

Hannah was ready to fulfill her vow. She was ready to present the only son back to God. She knew that Samuel living in the house of God meant she would have less contact with him. Hannah was ready to bear the cost. She had committed to this and she had no excuse to God. “After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, “Pardon me, my Lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:24‭-‬26). Eli must have been surprised by this woman’s courage. She made a vow and she was ready for the consequences. Hannah told Eli, “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).

Hannah let go of Samuel. She didn’t hold back. She didn’t complain that Samuel was too little to stay with Eli. She had no excuses. She just went to the same place of prayer and handed over the answer to her prayers back to God. The only heart desire was to have a child. Hannah didn’t hold on, she let go of her desire. Samuel was the manifestation of her prayer. She could have held on to show Peninnah that she has a son too. But, Hannah returned Samuel back to God as she had vowed. When Hannah gave back Samuel to God, she touched the heart of God. She had just one son and she willingly let go of him. She didn’t use her circumstances as an excuse to hold on to Samuel. Hannah’s son was no ordinary son. He became a voice of God in his generation. His mother ushered him into his prophetic ministry even before he was born. 

Hannah’s request was not to make her feel good. Her request was to give to God what God gives to her. Most of us have experienced specific lacks in our lives. We have encountered losses and pain. We have different things we look forward to having. But, do our desires advance God’s kingdom? We have learnt from Hannah’s story that God answers prayers. Our commitment should be this, no blessing from God will become a hindrance blocking our path to God. If you receive from God, be ready to give back to Him. Holding on and not letting go result in selfishness. However, like Hannah, we could give God our Samuel and God will give us back a generational prophet, a seer, a judge, a leader, a voice that silences other voices, and a kingmaker. As long as we hold on to our Samuel, he remains a child, but when we return him to the Lord, he becomes the voice of God. 

Hannah: “Because I asked the Lord for him”

Making a vow is so easy for many people across the world but keeping the vows seems to be quite difficult. Every year, thousands, if not millions of people vow to be with each other in marriage. The marital vow differs in cultures and religions but the bond is the same. However, divorce cases are always on the rise. It is either one person or both couples are unable to stick to the vows they made and as such causes the marital union to break. It is very important for people to understand the weight of the vows they make. Politicians vow in most nations to take care of the citizens yet, nepotism, corruption, bribery and other social vices are on the rise in government circles. Doctors, lawyers among many other professions vow before they begin their careers but the vows are barely taken seriously in most cases. If it is difficult to keep our words, then it is not easy to make vows and promises. As we continue our study on Hannah, we are reminded that Hannah prayed to God for a son and made a vow before the Lord 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).

Hannah’s desire was to have a son and her commitment was to return that son back to the Lord. After their activities at Shiloh were over, the family prepared to return home. “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.” (1 Samuel 1:19). When they arrived in their home, Hannah and Elkanah did the needful as a couple. Hannah believed God will give a son and so her faith was translated into action. The Lord remembered Hannah this time. As a couple,  they might have spent several intimate moments together, but this time was different. Hannah was expectant. She had made a vow. God honoured Hannah’s request by remembering 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 1:20)

Sometimes the same routine is what God uses to glorify His name. When we are in expectation, we should put our faith in action. Imagine if Hannah had refused to have intimacy with her husband because she was expecting God to give her a son? The only son born without intimacy was Jesus Christ. Hannah understood that God will use what she has to bring her miracle. “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 1:20). The Lord came through for Hannah. Her deep anguish suddenly became her big testimony. She would have rejoiced in the Lord. Her Samuel was born. The vow she made came alive. What a joy! 

Hannah’s heartfelt prayer and the answer to her prayer should remind us that God is a prayer answering God. Is there anything too hard for Him? Hannah’s deepest pains were turned around because of an encounter with the Lord. Another lesson we learn from this story is that it is possible for good people to go through a circle of issues but the choice to stay in the bad situation is a decision they have to make. Hannah had a choice to cry and be pitiful about her condition. But, she made a choice to present her case before the Lord. Hannah could have just asked for a son, but she gave God enough reasons to release her son. When we pray, we should back our prayers with scriptures. God’s words are filled with lots of promises. We must hold on to God by His words. Hannah’s first attempt to fulfill her vow, is the name she gave to her son. God heard Hannah’s prayer and the child was named “Samuel”. 

Hannah’s prayer reminds us that God definitely hears what we say to Him. Today, go to Him and tell Him what you need. Remember, put God to task based on His word. Don’t just babble words, know what the scripture says about your situation. Then, go and do the needful. God will definitely come through for you.