I was reading an article about a Christian and she was asked the question, “Who is your favorite biblical person?” Of course, I had to answer for myself in my mind, and I was surprised with who I thought of first: Hannah. For some reason, she stood out in that moment. Here was in First Samuel a woman who was persecuted by her husband’s other wife, she was misunderstood by her husband (“Don’t want a baby, I’m enough,” was his attitude), and she was denied what she desired–a child. Plus, being barren in those days was a personal and social stigma. There was something wrong with you if you didn’t bear children.
So she goes to the temple and prays like crazy. Then Eli the priest assures her that God has heard her prayer and will answer. Then I Samuel 1:18: “She said, ‘May your servant find favor in your eyes.’ Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.“
I love that! Hannah took the promise and acted upon it. That took me back to my previous post of acting upon my position in Christ. And even this morning as I hesitated going into Audrey’s room to help her get ready because at breakfast she was very angry, I thought, “No, I have courage in Christ. And it doesn’t matter what she thinks of me. God’s opinion of me is more important than hers and He says I did nothing wrong.”
So I went in courageously and helped her.
Have you focused lately on your position in Christ? Here’s some facts about you. You are:
holy
blameless
predestined
adopted
have grace
loved
redeemed
forgiven
chosen
marked by a seal with the Holy Spirit
have hope
have riches of an inheritance
chosen and prepared as God’s workmanship for good works
strong
reconciled to God
without blemish
free from accusation
perfect in Christ (as He sees you)
Which of those is most important/meaningful to you?