Derek Greer (0:00)

Welcome to the live big broadcast with Derek Greer. We believe this teaching from God's Word will empower you to live a full, impactful life in Christ. Let's dig in. We're gonna be in First Samuel, chapter one and verse one. Now, there was a certain man. Language like that is telling us that what is recorded here was. Was not a fairy tale. This was a real man with a real life and real problems. Now, I don't care who you are or who you think you are. We all have problems. Show me a person without problems. I'll show you a person who is no longer living. So there was this certain individual, this certain man of Ramathan Jophim, of the mountains of Ephraim. And his name was Elkanah, the son of Joram, the son of Elihu, and the son of Tuhu, the son of Zuf, an Ephraimite. That's a long list of his family roots here. But that's the point. He wanted us to know that he came from a solid family. He was a true Israelite. First Chronicles 6, 23 tells us that actually he was not only an Israelite, but actually he was a Levite. And this is very important. Never think that just because you're in ministry that will automatically exempt you from pain. That's important. Jesus experienced pain. The apostles experienced pain. Our mothers and fathers and forefathers experienced pain. And guess what? We will, too. And this Elkanah had two wives. Now, whenever you have two women and one man, you know you got a problem. In fact, every example of this in the Bible is cautionary. You see, the problem is that every side chick catches main chick feelings. I just lived long enough to. Not that I've ever done that. Okay? But I've lived long enough to watch that. A comedian said it this way. He said, there are rules to being the side chick. Rule number one is you'll always be number two. So, ladies, think again before you entertain such relationships. Well, he had two wives, and one of them was named Hannah. Hannah. The name literally means favored or grace. But have you ever had the reputation for something, but your life tends to scream something else? And the name of the other wife was Peninnah, and her name means pearl. Now, pearls. Anyone know where pearls come from? Well, okay, well, let me just remind you. Pearls typically come from an irritant that gets inside the soft tissue of a clamor. And then what the clam does to protect itself, it deposits layers of protective coating over that irritant. So a little piece of sand or whatever gets in there. And it just keeps coating it and coating it and coating it to protect itself from it. And what we see here is pina Peninnah, forgive me, would become to Hannah what her name literally portrays. She was an irritant that made Hannah grow into something even more valuable. And there are some irritations in your life that if you let God work it, it could become a value, a pearl of great price if you stick to the process. Some folks say it this way. No pain, no what. So Peninnah had children. So we're about to discover that Penina was a regular baby making machine. So if Elkanah just winked at Penina, she got pregnant. But Hannah, on the other hand. Have you ever had people describe you with a but in front of your name? Well, she's nice, but she's successful, but she's spiritual, but smart, but. So Hannah was favored but barren because Hannah had no children. You see, every woman doesn't necessarily want children. But for Hannah, this was the thing she wanted for most. So what do you do when God has blessed you every other way except the way you want the most? How many of you in this room have a victory in a whole lot of areas, but still have that one area that is literally eating you alive? This is Hannah. They said this man, Elkanah, went up from the city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh. So it seems here that life had thrown Elkanah and Hannah some real. Some very, very real curves here. Now, in this period in history, if a woman could not have children, they had no one to protect them when they grew old. There was no Social Security. So actually, your children were your Social Security in old age. So the fact that the wife he loved couldn't have a baby, that's probably why they brought on this additional woman. But what I want you to see here is despite the problems that were going on in his life, he kept worshiping on Sundays. Here's what I know. If you can't worship because of things, you gotta learn to worship through things. That's important. And Elkanah had many things in his life he could not worship because of. But we see a man that worshiped through also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord were there. Now, if you know the Bible, this is a very gracious description of those priests that were just mentioned. Because in Samuel 2 and 12, the Bible calls them corrupt. Other translations call them scoundrels. If it was today, we would call them trifling. Trifling, trifling, trifling. So what we see here is Elkanah had real family problems, but he also had church problems. But he wouldn't let any of that get in the way of his worship. 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. So the first portion went to God. The remaining went to, you know, Peninnah, his wives, actually, Penida and Hannah and sons. And this is important. People who put God first financially tend to last. But to Hannah, he would give a double portion. Now, here's the question. Have you ever received twice as much in one area of your life but zero in another? A double portion and a zero portion. But what I've learned is, when life doesn't seem fair, all we can do is look to the one who is for. Watch this next clause. For Elkanah loved Hannah. And Elkanah, here is a picture of God who loves us despite of all that we can't do, all that we don't have to offer. And Elkanah loved Hannah, though Hannah couldn't do what you would expect a woman to do because it says, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. So according to scripture, and this may trouble you, the New Testament gives us a little clearer insight. But the short of it is, according to scripture, God had something to do with her infertility. Now, in the New Testament, we see it clearer. But the devil may have been the instrument of a problem, but God still had a purpose in her pain. What the devil intends for evil, God can still work for good. Now, everything's not good, but God can work. Good purposes, bad things. There is a purpose for your pain. There is a purpose for our pain. The God who shuts doors can also open doors. The God who closes the wound can also open the womb. But what we learn from this text, in order for that to happen, you gotta call on him. Call on him, Call on him. And her rival became that irritant in that soft part of her. And she began to provoke her severely, intending to make her miserable because she would always make mention of the thing Hannah couldn't do that Penina could do because the Lord had closed her womb. So if looks could kill, Hannah would have been dead. So it was year by year, not sometimes, but all the time, that this was not an incident in the life of Hannah. This was her life, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord that Penina Provoked her. So what do you do when your enemy attends your church? What do you do when your enemy is part of your family? What do you do when your enemy happens to live under the same roof? I'm about to tell you. I just need you to hang on. Just hang on. I'm gonna tell you. I'm gonna tell you. I'll tell you. Watch what she did. Therefore, she reached across the table and smacked her in the face. Some of y' all wish that was in there, don't you? But therefore she wept and did not eat. Like I said last week, she finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired. And at some point, enough is enough. So the irritant in the situation is about to cause her to cry out to the Lord. But let me tell you something. The last thing the devil wants is for you and I to cry out to the Lord with our whole heart. Then Elkanah, her husband, said to her, hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Sometimes men don't get it. Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than 10 sons? You know, we all have. So you're with me in the book. I appreciate that. You see, we all have needs and aspirations and dreams that even having a good man or woman doesn't satisfy or resolve. Sometimes, fella, it's more than you. So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Normally, when she got up, she would. Her shoulders would be bent over and she'd be looking down. Her eyes would be red. She'd be sad and just kind of slink away because she didn't feel like she was the same value as the other women. A lot of the ladies didn't invite her, you know, to the places, you know, where they brought their kids. And she dealt with a level of isolation. You know, in that culture, the greatest blessing for a woman was a child. But also the greatest curse was. Was barrenness. So this woman lived with a heavy head. But after dinner, she had finally had enough. She got up with a look on her face, and, yes, it was about to go down. So she leaves the messy family situation and she goes to the place of prayer. Now, Eli, the priest, was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the Tabernacle of the Lord, and watch this. And she was in bitterness of soul. Hannah was an Israelite, married to a man in ministry. But she still had pain and bitterness, things she had to work through in her soul. But watch what she did. And she prayed to the Lord again one of the worst things the devil could do is to provoke you and I to get down on our knees and cry out to our go. You see, the devil knows as well as we know. Jeremiah 29:13 said, you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. See, the issue is often I give God a little peace in my heart, a little part of my heart. You know, I got things to do, you know, a world to reach and all the rest. And, you know, I kind of. Yeah, yeah, I'm going to mention this, then I'm going to move on to the next. But when life gets serious enough, you start the whole and certain. What the devil intends for. Please don't waste your pain. Don't waste the irritation and the difficulty. What the devil intends for evil, you better work it for good. Take that energy and turn it to God and be like, devil, you ought not never mess with me. You never ever put me on my knees. Devil, you gonna regret everything you did to my family, everything you ever did to me. So she prayed to the Lord and wept. A lot of y' all got this soft religion, just, you know, money supposed to fall out the sky. Everything's supposed to be, you know, roses. And read the Bible. Weeping does endure for a night, but you got to get through the night, because joy comes in the morning. But morning don't come without night. Weeping endures. Some nights will be long, some nights will last, but you got to hold on till morning. Let's get back to the text here. And she wept in prayer, in anguish. You see, it's okay to get upset. It's okay to sometimes even get mad. But just don't forget to pray. Ephesians 4:26 says. It says, be angry and do not sin. You see, the problem is we get mad and we post it on Facebook and Instagram. Then we go out at midnight and key the car instead of bringing the issue to the lord. Watch verse 11. Then this quiet, demure, sensitive soul made a vow. When someone who doesn't swear starts swearing, you got yourself a situation. And she said, watch what she. Watch what she calls God. Oh, Lord of hosts, the Lord of a multitude, the Lord of arm. She had a problem with barrenness, a problem with aloneness, and she called on the name. That was the answer. You get it? Barren. No. Babies host an army. And you gotta call God what you need in your life. I mean, y' all know the Bible. The Bible says I when it speaks of. I am what, the healer? Everything you need, just fill in. I Am your righteousness. I am your redeemer. I'm your shepherd. That's why he calls himself I am, so you can fill in the blank in your life. So she made a vow, and she starts talking to God and calling on the answer in the problem. If you will indeed look upon the affliction of your maidservant and remember me, and don't forget what your maidservant. Am I the only one that's ever felt forgotten? You will have moments in your journey. Now, if you've only been in this thing for, you know, two weeks, you don't know what I'm talking about yet. But keep walking. You will have moments in your journey where you felt forgotten or feel forgotten. But God's word says, call upon me and I shall answer. He said, 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. I want you to notice something. The prayer she prayed had three things. She was sincere, she was specific, and she was sacrificial. And for us today, that last piece is probably the most important. She didn't ask anything of God that she wasn't willing to give back to God. Pay attention to what I'm saying. Anything we get from God but won't give back to God or trust God with becomes an idol. Let me see if I can say that better. Anything we cannot give back to God will get in the way of our relationship with God. So I'm grateful for what God has given me. But with every gift, we have to be willing at times to give it back. Say, lord, I thank you for it, but I release it back to you, God. I let it go. And it happened as she continued praying before the Lord that Eli the priest, watched her mouth. Now, Hannah spoke in her heart. Only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Sometimes what's in our heart, what God is doing in us, and what we need to say to God is bigger than English words. And there she was. And you see, Eli wasn't used to the move of the spirit because, you know, it's just a whole mess in Israel at this time. And when they. They saw God move, they accused it of being something else. Therefore, Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, how long will you be drunk? Pour your wine away from you. And you need to understand this is very important. Everyone's not always going to understand what's going on on the inside of you. Everyone's not going to get you all the Time, her husband didn't understand it. Now here, Pastor Eli didn't get it either. But if it's really God, he will fight your battle. And the people who need to be with you will eventually come around. But Hannah, again, her husband didn't get it. And then the pastor didn't get it. So Hannah answered and started telling them off. Is that what it said? No. She remained polite, respectful, honorable. Raising your voice does not improve your arguments. And when you run into some opposition, people don't get you. How you respond matters. And she said, watch this. No, my Lord. She calls him. Not out of his name. An honorable name. I am a woman. Sorrowful spirit, listen, I'm not drunk. I have not drunk wine or intoxicating drink, but I've been pouring out my soul before the Lord. And I know that Jeremiah promises in 29:13, you will seek me and find me when I seek God with my whole heart. Skip to 17. Then Eli answered. In other words, Eli came around. And sometimes, you know, everybody's not going to get you the first, you know, time they're exposed to you. But Eli came around and said, go in peace, by the way, you got to keep your heart sweet. And the God of Israel grant your petition, which you've asked of him. And she responded, let your maidservant find favor in your sight. Now, I've been praying on this side of the kingdom for almost 40 years. And you know, I did my now I lay me down to sleep prayers and those type of things. But when I finally met the Lord, matter of fact, I would tell you, the Word of God is so important, it's so very important. But if I could teach people just one thing and couldn't teach them anything else, it would be how to pray. It's one of the most important things you can ever do. Yes, we pray with the Word, and that matters. But in my years, and the Bible agrees with this, successful prayer doesn't just have one key. So if you see a book or a sermon, you know the single key to prayer just go on to the next. Because they don't know what to tell. Prayer is more like a combination lock. You gotta spin until it clicks. Her prayer was three things. You know, 10, 15 back to 92. It was sincere, it was specific and sacrificial. And when all three of those things lined up, she heard a click in her spirit. You see, the older saints used to say things like, I gotta go home and pray through. And if you're new to king, you don't quite get that. And what they were saying is, I gotta pray until I hear that click. I gotta pray until that thing unlocks. I gotta pray until I know that I know that I know. Prayer is not about ritual. It's about getting answers from God. When spirit speaks to spirit and spirit knows that God has heard, that's prayer. So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. Why was her face no longer sad? Because prayer was not just a five time a day, three times a day ritual. She stepped into Philippians 4, 6, 7. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. And watch this. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus. So she prayed until the peace came. You see, I don't know how long it's going to take you before peace comes. Listen, I've gone weeks trying to pray through, and peace ain't come. But you pray, not until you, oh, it's been 15 minutes, but until you're done. And this woman wasn't watching her clock. She was pouring out her heart. And then when peace that passes understanding came down upon her, all of a sudden, she got back to normal. Now, the thing is, you say you pray, but did you really pray? You say bishop, you know, I prayed about it. God didn't answer. No, did you pray? Did you stay? Until it clicked on the inside and you knew that. You knew. Y' all still with me. So after she prayed, she went away and ate, and her face was no longer sad. And, you know, some people get real churchy and weird, and it bothers me that if you're a Christian, you ought to always smile. That's weird. That's just weird. Imagine, you know, someone telling you off and you're like, you know, that's the thing. Joy of the Lord comes out of prayer. Joy comes when you. And peace. When you got that click, you feel that you're entitled to peace and joy just because you're a Christian. But the Bible says, pray always without ceasing. And if you don't have a prayer life, you're not going to have a joy and peace life. I don't know who I'm talking to, but I'm helping someone in this room. This is my near final verse. Then they arose early in the morning. And watch this, both of them. This is husband and wife worship before the Lord, but watch what worship can do. And they returned and came to their house. So Hannah came back into the house with a peace she could not explain. And Hannah looked at that face, the glory of the Lord shining on. And there was a joy. And then Hannah. Now listen, y' all get too spiritual. Because when she got back to the house, she started singing all of me loves all of you. I didn't make that up. It's in the. It's in the. It's in the next. It's in the next clause here. And the Holy Spirit. Okay. And Elkanah knew his wife. God still knows how to put a fire back in a marriage. Y' all don't know whether to clap or not. And the Lord remembered her because she prayed so. It came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived this barren woman and had no natural hope in an era that all her value and personal worth depended on the number of children she had. In the process of time, when her and Elkanah got busy doing what they were supposed to do, God did what only he could do, that Hannah conceived and bore a son. Why did this happen? Because she was sincere, because she was specific, because she was sacrificial. If you would be sincere, if you would be specific, if you would be surrendered and sacrificial. God will also meet you here this Mother's Day. Give God a hallelujah and a hand clap for his Word. Thank you for joining us. Until next time, remember you have what it takes in Christ to live big. We also invite you to partner with Derek Reer Ministries in bringing the life changing and impactful teachings of God's Word to the world. Get started by visiting Derekre.com by clicking the link in the description.