Author: Barbara Karpouzian@ClarionCall

The book of I Samuel begins in the day when the judges still ruled Israel. Samuel was the last judge and the first prophet and priest to serve during the time of a king.

• Judge – someone who led the people in government and  during times of war
• Prophet – someone that God chooses to speak for Him and to tell of events in the divine plan
• Priest – someone who fulfilled the religious duties required by God

Samuel is the best example of a good judge governing the people by God’s word and not following his own impulses.

Samuel was the man who anointed Saul as Israel’s first king.

What is the story surrounding Samuel’s birth?

• Elkanah like many other of the Old Testament leaders was married to more than one wife. This was certainly not a part of God’s divine plan. 
• Polygamy was a common custom in those days when “every man did that which was right in the sight of his own eyes.”
• Some say that because in these societies many died in battle, polygamy became an acceptable way of supporting women who would have otherwise remain unmarried.

Either way many times polygamy presented family problems as we will see here. Anytime something is not a part of God’s plan, it creates problems.

Read about Leah and Rachel. And also about Sarah and Hagar

Elkanah´s two wives are Peninnah and Hannah.

A significant difference between these two women is that Peninnah was able to bear children while Hannah could not.

• This was difficult for Hannah since in the Middle Eastern culture she was considered a failure as a woman – it was seen as a social embarrassment. Children were a source of labor for the family and were required to take care of their parents in old age. If a woman wasn’t able to bear children she may be required to up one of her servant girls to her husband.

• Now Elkanah could have left her (since a man could divorce a barren wife) but he remained lovingly devoted despite criticism and his rights under the law. 

Now each year Elkanah and his family would travel up to Shiloh (abundance) to worship and sacrifice to the Lord. 

This had to be a difficult time for Hannah seeing all of the families with their children and she with none. NO ABUNDANCE!

(I Samuel 1:3-5)

This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hopni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the LORD had closed her womb. 

How ironic that a double portion was given to a barren woman. Love compelled it!! Though she saw herself barren, God saw fertile land!

The favoritism demonstrated by Elkanah created dissention, competition, insecurity, and esteem issues.

• Even though Hannah was unable to bear children Elkanah gave her the double portion, because he loved her very much although the Lord had shut up her womb.

• Hannah had favor and she was humble. Prov 3:34 He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.

• She was taunted by Peninnah not only because she was barren, but Penninah knew that Hannah was more favored by Elkanah. 

The taunting took place even while they were on their way to Shiloh – a place where they were going to worship God!

PENNINAH BECAME THE VOICE OF CONDEMNATION IN HANNAH’S LIFE.

• Peninnah appeared to have rejoiced in Hannah’s barrenness. Perhaps she felt this gave her a leg up, because she knew that Eli loved Hannah more.
• Penninah could have ministered to Hannah. She could have advocated for her before the Lord, helped to bear her burden and bring it to the cross.
• She could have prayed for healing, but she chose not to. There is such power when we pray for one another, agree with one another for breakthrough!
  • One puts a thousand to flight and 2 tens of thousands! Deuteronomy 32:30
  • For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. Matthew 18:20
  • The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results! James 5:16
  • The blind man in Mark 8 was brought to Jesus by others!
  • A paralyzed man was lowered through the roof by others!

There is something beautiful about a saved, spirit-filled, nurturing sister in Christ!!! Unlike the cattiness of the secular culture!!!

• Now Hannah knew how much her husband loved her but he could simply not comfort her. The jeers and mocking of Peninnah were louder. 

We know how much God loves us, but sometimes still allow the voice of condemnation to drown out the voice of truth.

Do we listen to the voice of the enemy? Of our insecurity? Of our pain? Of our low self-esteem? Our doubt? Are they louder than the love of God who says that His love covers a multitude of sin or that His perfect love expels all fear? 

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” 

ELKANAH BECAME THE VOICE OF COMPROMISING COMFORT IN HANNAH’S LIFE.

He just couldn’t understand her longing to have children

Who is it that can truly comfort us? Can we find real comfort in a man, a job, children, ministry, money? 

Do we give up and compromise with our barren situations? 

Even with these voices of condemnation and compromise, Hannah showed no outward conflict, she did not retaliate. Though she was grieved in spirit, we do not hear any railing or furious revenge on her part. 

Here is what may seem hard to swallow – The Lord had shut up her womb! The Lord kept her from having children! (Job)

How could this be? This seems cruel and unkind of God. 

In the midst of all that was going though, God had a plan. It is our response to Him that determines the fulfillment of His plan and our destiny. Job said, “He knows where I am going and He controls my destiny.”

It is about God’s timing!

It is about God’s divine purpose!

It is about the revelation of Himself through us when we respond accordingly!

It is about building treasure in heaven rather pleasure on earth. 

It is about the unconditional love of man towards God.

It is about our willingness to press through and not break down.

It is ultimately about the intimacy that is formed when falling upon Him when all has fallen upon us.

Hannah was the fourth great woman in sacred history who grieved because she could not conceive and among the 4 she was the most prayerful.

• Sarah laughed when she learned that she would bare a son in her old age.
• Rebekah bore her trial with listlessness and indifference.
• Rachel irritated with her long wait for a child, exclaimed, “Give me children, or else I die.”
• Hannah sought her call as a mother in the power of God, for she desired a son as a poet desires a song. On her knees in prayer!

What did Hannah do? 

• Hannah was reduced to the place of tears and a loss of appetite. 
• She must have thought, how many times have I come to Shiloh, this place called “abundance” and have left with the same bitterness of soul? 
• Where is my God that I have not found favor with Him? What is my sin that He has not heard my prayer? 
• But Hannah CONTINUED to go to Shiloh. She pressed through, she didn’t get weary in the well-doing, 

Hannah’s Prayer for a Son

9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 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. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” 12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” 15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” 17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” 18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

ELI BECAME THE VOICE OF CRITICISM IN HANNAH’S LIFE. 

HANNAH OVERCAME ALL OF THESE VOICES, CONDEMNATION, COMPROMISE AND CRITICISM, BY USING HER VOICE TO CRY OUT TO GOD! HER INTERCESSION EXUDED SUCH INTENSITY THAT SHE APPEARED INTOXICATED.

All the years of faithfulness and praying allowed God to purify her prayers! She came to the place that if God blessed her with a child, the very thing that she had prayed for and that was most precious to her, she would be willing to surrender back to the Lord. 

Hannah came to the place of purified prayer. It was no longer about her dignity, her place in society, her own desires, but she prayed in bitterness of soul, weeping in anguish pouring her heart out to the Lord.

Prayer comes in various intensities. Jesus prayers were also a prime example of purified prayers since He was sinless.

• Jesus fasted and prayed before confronting the enemy.
• In John 11 He groaned in His spirit and offered prayers to the Father before calling Lazarus forth.
• Before every miracle Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven to the Father.
• In Luke 22:44, in the garden Jesus prayed with such intensity that He sweat great drops of blood.
• In Hebrews 5:7-8 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

I Samuel 1:10-11 “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”

Eli the priest blessed her prayer and she rejoiced because she believed that the Lord heard.

Three times she uses the word “maidservant” demonstrating her humility towards God.

Her prayer is to give the Lord back whatever it is that He gives her, withholding nothing from Him. 

This is pure, humble prayer that bears fruit. Only the Lord knows the hearts of men.  Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

One does not engage in prayer to the Lord simply for the results but for the relationship with Him! All fruit is born through cultivating our relationship with Him.

The ending of the story is that in due time (God’s time) she gives birth to Samuel who becomes a minister of the Lord. Priest, Prophet, and Judge. We also understand that she gave birth to 5 more children!

She never turns back on her promise.

24  Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh. And the child was young. 25  Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli. 26  And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD. 27  “For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28  “Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there. She offers sacrifices, she testifies, and gives back to God what she vowed to give Him!

Are there areas of your life that are barren? Times when nothing “comes to birth” – barrenness with our jobs, our relationships, even ministry?

What is in our hearts when we pray? 

• Ought towards another?
• Selfish ambition?
• Jealousy?
• Competitiveness?
• Some hidden sin?

I prayed 5 years for my husband’s salvation! I was driven by God’s intense love for him, not by any personal benefit.

She then prayed and praised…some say that her triumphant prayer has been called the forerunner of Mary’s Magnificat.

This prayer exhibits the fervency, depth, and fire of a woman who is truly rejoicing.

2:1  And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. 2  “No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. 3  “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. 4  “The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength. 5  Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble. 6  “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. 7  The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. 8  He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He has set the world upon them. 9  He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man shall prevail. 10  The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed.”

Read Isaiah 54:1-8

He will watch over His Word to perform it!

During the month of February, 2021 while in prayer, I heard the Lord speak to my spirit. He said, “I will watch over My Word to perform it.” I recognized that this was a Scripture and began searching for it in my Bible.

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, “I see an almond branch.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

Jeremiah 1:11-12

There was no doubt in my mind that the Lord was speaking. I decided to look up the farming process of an almond tree.

This process is fascinating! https://www.almonds.com/why-almonds/almond-lifecycle

November through January, almond trees go through a period of dormancy, losing their leaves and chilling out in California’s cool, wet winters. Orchard soils store up rainwater for the upcoming growing season, and the trees store nutrients and energy for next year’s crop. Toward the end of dormancy, buds begin swelling on each tree’s branches in preparation for bloom

Between mid-February and mid-March, almond tree buds burst into beautiful white and light-pink blooms.

From March to June, almond kernels mature and grow to full size, with the shell hardening around it—both protected by a fuzzy outer hull.

In July, almond hulls split open, exposing the almond shell and allowing it and the kernel inside to dry.

From August through October, mechanical tree “shakers” harvest the crop by vigorously shaking it to the ground.

What I found even more fascinating is that during the time that the Lord was speaking to me about this verse, my youngest daughter became pregnant! I began to reflect. She and her husband began trying in November and conceived in January. Their due date will be the end of September. It is as though the Lord was giving me an event in the natural to coincide with His Word!

I am not sure what this all means, and whether or not Jeremiah 1:11-12 is speaking of a literal timeline. What I do know is that God says He will watch over His Word to perform it!

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your waysand my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

What I do know is that our God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. There is no one like Him and there never will be. He is Alpha and Omega. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all things in it. A worm is more complex than a smart phone and yet we would never admit that a cell phone evolved from nothing.

In the beginning God spoke and all things became. Genesis chapter 1 clearly delineates the order in which He spoke and the order in which what He spoke was established.

His Word is powerful and it produces! It will NEVER return void!

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

Hebrews 4:12

Has the Lord spoken a word to you? Are there promises you are holding onto? Are you delighting in Him?

Numbers 23:19 says that He is not a human that He should lie, or change His mind. It poses the questions, “Does He speak and then not act, promise and not fulfill? He is faithful even when we are not.

He will watch over His Word to perform it!

⁹ “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” ¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.”

1 Kings 3:9-12

There are so many voices, so much noise! According to www.eMarketer.com, “in 2019, time spent with media by US adults will average 12 hours, 9 minutes per day (referenced as 12:09), a 1-minute increase from our estimate last year.”

What voices are you listening to? How much noise have you allowed into your headspace? How do you differentiate the truth from lies? What is the foundation for your decision-making? There are many voices vying for our attention. Think about it, the average adult spends over 12 hours of their day receiving information from various media sources. How much of it is grounded in truth? Wisdom? I would even question the facts, since fact does not necessarily mean truth. What do I mean by that? I recently heard a powerful story of a man who was told by the doctor that the baby that his wife was carrying was actually dead. The scientific fact is that she was carrying and would deliver a dead fetus, yet he had a quickening in his spirit that it wasn’t the truth. When he saw his wife, he told her that all would be well. Months later, their son was born alive and healthy and is now 40 years old with children of his own (https://youtu.be/7LjESKGuIFY). The Bible speaks truth and yet government can establish laws, science can share research that we ultimately deem facts, but are actually contrary to the truth. I respect government and science, but I want the truth, not just the facts! Yes…take a minute and wrap your mind around that.

While reading devotions, 1 Kings 3:9-12 spoke to me. The Lord appeared to King Solomon in a dream and literally gave him carte blanche, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon recognized his inability, as a child of about 12 years of age, to fulfill his duties as king. He appropriately and perhaps unexpectedly asks God for wisdom. The Lord grants him wisdom and a discerning heart. As you read through Solomon’s life it is evident that his wisdom and discernment surpassed all the other kings and there has never been anyone quite like him.

One case that stands out is penned in 1 Kings 3:16-28:

¹⁶ Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷ One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me.¹⁸ The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

¹⁹ “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. ²⁰ So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. ²¹ The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

²² The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”

But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

²³ The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”

²⁴ Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. ²⁵ He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

²⁶ The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

²⁷ Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

²⁸ When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

Wow!!! Who could have imagined such a resolution for such a dilemma? Solomon was able to discern the hearts of the women through the appropriation of God’s wisdom.

It has become so clear to me that now more than ever, the people of God must have sharp discernment. In the Oxford English dictionary (in Christian contexts) discernment is perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding. Discernment enables us to assess situations, be attentive to intimations, pray over decisions, and ultimately make choices that align with Biblical truth. In short, we must ask the Holy Spirit to give us ears to hear what He is saying and then to obey the direction that He provides. John 10:27 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. Without His guidance, we find ourselves making judgments and decisions that are simply based on our five senses.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. ⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

I believe that the Lord is speaking to us clearly here. We do not see things the way that He does. “For now we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12a). For this very reason, we must ask Him to open our eyes and ears to the Holy Spirit. This applies to personal, family and civic matters to say the least. Since we are in an election year, there is much to consider as we choose judges, the members of Congress and the President of the United States. Yes, please be informed. Understand where candidates stand on issues, especially those that are close to God’s heart such as life, marriage, liberty, and religious freedom. Here is a helpful link: https://ivoterguide.com/vote. But as you make your final decisions, seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Ask him to sharpen your discernment – to give you ears to hear what He is saying, and not just what’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or what’s featured on the nightly news. God has given us a civic responsibility to vote and to pray for our leaders.

¹ I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. ² Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.

1 Timothy 2:1-2

Stay out of digital rants! The temptation to engage becomes a trap that isolates people and minimizes any opportunity to develop healthy relationships with one another. It’s not worth it…really! Vitriol never accomplishes anything and usually leads to more vitriol.

My prayer for all of us today is that our spiritual eyes and ears are turned towards Him. Holy Spirit, help us to have a discerning heart and to tune out the noise of the world and tune into your heart for our personal lives and for the destiny of our Nation. Help us engage in your affairs and to not be caught up in the affairs of the world. Grant us wisdom in communicating with those in our circle of influence. Help us to be a blessing and to bear remaining fruit for the Kingdom.

In Jesus Name…Amen!!!

And then it happened! I received a “rhema” word!  And what exactly is a “rhema” word? Got Questions provides a good answer along with some Biblical references:

There are two primary Greek words that describe Scripture which are translated “word” in the New Testament. The first, logos, refers principally to the total inspired Word of God and to Jesus, who is the living Word. Logos is found in John 1:1; Luke 8:11; Philippians 2:16; Hebrews 4:12; and other verses. The second Greek word translated “word” is rhema, which refers to the spoken word. Rhema literally means a an utterance (individually, collectively or specifically). Examples are found in Luke 1:38; 3:2; 5:5; and Acts 11:16.

I don’t know about you, but I have a few different devotional books and guides that I use during my personal time with the Lord. On this particular day, I was reading Today in the Word, The Book of Isaiah: Seeing the Glory of God, published by Moody Global Ministries. Now remember, I had said to God, “I know what your Word says. I have been praying and I just can’t seem to get relief from this unprecedented worry. Lord, I need to hear something directly from your lips to my spirit that is going to break through my current disposition.” This is what I read in Isaiah 7:1-9 NLT:

A Message for Ahaz

¹ When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. However, they were unable to carry out their plan. ² The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm.

³ Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashub and go out to meet King Ahaz. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed. ⁴ Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah. ⁵ Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are plotting against him, saying, ⁶ ‘We will attack Judah and capture it for ourselves. Then we will install the son of Tabeel as Judah’s king.’⁷ But this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

2018 ended and it was time to move onwards towards 2019! But not so quickly…I want to take some time to reminisce, to reflect on all that has transpired this past year!

In our household, 2018 has certainly shown itself to be a year filled with changes and challenges. What exactly do I mean? Well lets start at the beginning!

Mother-in-law moved in with us for an undetermined period of time and needed care and support, my youngest daughter got married – destination wedding of course! We helped her buy a car and transition her to another state for a yearlong internship. My oldest daughter and her husband sold and bought a house that we helped pack and unpack, and oh…she is now expecting her third child. My husband officially retired and together we sold our second property, bought a new car, started volunteering in a new capacity at our church, host an average of 2-4 prayer and Bible study groups in our home, and finally, I accepted some additional responsibilities in a graduate program where I teach…even though I’m technically retired…phew! It may not appear quite as overwhelming reading mere words in a blog, but I can assure you, it has been. You might say, “This all sounds good – marriage, baby, new car, new house, retirement…” I would respond and say “Absolutely! God has been faithful to us, and by His power and wisdom, we have been able to navigate through all of these life transitions.”

But wait…

For the first time, in a long time, I found myself worrying, not just situationally, or momentarily, but constantly. It was as though my being was gripped by fear when I awoke and when I went to sleep. So many thoughts and imaginations about my family raced though my mind – concerns about their travels, their safety, their financial needs, their marital relationships, their welfare, and well…the list goes on. I was consumed with worry in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced. I could honestly say, that it felt like an adversarial attack – not something that I often say. With everything that’s going on around us, it is so easy to be overcome with worry and to allow our imaginations to get the best of us.

Here are some definitions of “worry.”

• Give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. Encyclopedia.com
• Refers to the thoughts, images, and emotions of a negative nature in a repetitive, uncontrollable manner that results from a proactive cognitive risk analysis made to avoid or solve anticipated potential threats and their potential consequences. Wikipedia
• A sense of uneasiness and anxiety about the future. Scripture indicates that such anxiety is ultimately grounded in a lack of trust in God and His purposes. Dictionary of Bible Themes

I could relate to all of these! I was now a part of the America that is in the midst of a rising anxiety epidemic. According to a May, 2018 Science Alert article written by Peter Dockrill, “New survey results show Americans’ anxiety levels experienced a sharp increase in the past year, with almost 40 percent of respondents saying they felt more anxious than they did a year ago.”

An American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2017 Opinion Poll indicated that the top three areas Americans ranked as feeling extremely or somewhat anxious were:

1. Keeping myself or my family safe
2. My health
3. Paying my bills or my expenses

Now as someone who practices talking to God and reading the Bible regularly, I could easily quote Scriptures on worry and anxiety.

Scriptures like:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) or

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27). And then my life verse…

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Although I knew these Scriptures in my head, they weren’t making their way to my heart. I just couldn’t get any peace. I finally said to God, “I know what your Word says. I have been praying and I just can’t seem to get relief from this unprecedented worry. I need to hear something directly from your lips to my spirit Lord that is going to breakthrough my current disposition.” And then it happened!

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