INTERNAL ANATOMY HUMAN

Question number one: What is God's purpose for our pain and suffering? Hannah was the mother of Samuel the anointed prophet and judge during Israel's most glorious era. It was through Samuel that David was anointed King of the nation and Samuel's spiritual leadership catapulted Israel to her renown place in history. But wait, we have jumped to the end of Hannah's story and must go to the beginning in order to understand the anatomy of her revelatory process. In the beginning Hannah was no different from the majority of us beset with societal demands which she internalized to determine her self worth. You see Hannah was barren and had no children in a culture, time and place where barren women were considered to be cursed. Too make matters worse her husband Elkanah had a second wife Peninnah who had given him children and she taunted Hannah in her own home because of her barrenness. Her tormenter was unrelenting. As the story goes Hannah allowed the pain and torment to become her reality and she became depressed. She was so emotionally distraught that it effected her ability to function she would not eat..." And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore", I Samuel 1:10. She would not even be comforted by the kind words of her husband in spite of his love.

The key to this mystery question is found is I Samuel 1: 5 "...but the Lord had shut up her wound". This was God's doing and it was all for a divine purpose. God has purposely made Hannah barren as it was a divine order in an effort to push her to her destiny. God will use those aspects of our frail human condition which the world uses to reject and marginalize us to move us to our,divine destiny. That which Hannah thought was a curse was actually her blessing in disguise. Her sorrow, her pain, her suffering, drove her to God because she needed God. He was the only one who could answer her prayer since he was the originator of the problem. Hannah came to a profound understanding that God was the only source from which she could draw to fill the longing in her soul. Her husband through all of his loving efforts could not touch the parts of her soul that needed to be healed. Keep in mind her answer in her humanness to fill the void was still a child. Hannah did not yet thoroughly understand the mind of God to ask the critical question what is my soul truly crying for. This stage of the process was to simply turn her heart, soul and attention to God. Hannah understood that she needed God to take control of her problem. However God had a deeper level of understanding and intent for Hannah's pain and suffering, to draw her closer into relationship with the Divine.

God uses our suffering and pain to move us to where he wants us to be. The human conditions of pain and suffering creates a human response to ameliorate these conditions. Whenever there is a need there develops an outreach to meet the need. God is the one who will use the pain if we are willing as Hannah to reach out to him for our benefit and His glory. Hannah could not understand at the beginning of her spiritual journey what was the plan of God. She did however have enough faith in God to endure the process believing He could solve her problem. So what did she do, she turned to God. Through her pain and suffering she understood that she was dependent upon God. She had positioned herself for a divine one on one encounter with God. Hannah later came to understand her pain was used by God to draw her closer to Him. She was willing to reach out to God and answer mystery question one that the purpose of this pain drives me closer to God because I am dependent upon Him. She acknowledged that He alone was sovereign. Her husband could not touch her in those places were she was hurting. God was the only one that could relieve the suffering and she was driven to him to solve her problem.

What is God using in your life to create a void to draw you closer to his Divine love and care? Are you rejected? Do you have an emptiness in your life? In there a continual frustration in your soul that causes you discontentment? Have you ever considered that God created the void to draw you closer to Him. Whatever the void may be, reach out to God as Hannah did and let God use whatever is causing the pain to deepen your relationship with Him. We do not totally understand what God is doing but wherever you are at in your process, trust God by faith and He will guide you to the next step. Hannah understood the answer to the first mystery question was that she needed God. She later understood that He used her pain to draw her closer to him for a divine one on one encounter.

Question number two: Do you trust God enough to persevere? This entails that one comes to the realization that God is bigger than your problem. " And it came to pass as she continued praying before the Lord" I Samuel 1:12. So often we believe that God is a problem solver but we don't quite have enough faith to believe, He will solve our particular problem. Hannah came to a point in her divine encounter with God that in the depths of her despair she would not give up and continued to believe that God was omnipotent and would answer her prayer. Her faith went from believing to knowing that He will provide deliverance for her. Hannah came to an understanding that she was dealing with the Almighty God who was bigger than any problem that she might have. Let's go a little deeper, what Hannah was actually saying was, I am not going to let what society is saying about me become my problem. I will not let this problem become who I am. I'm in a temporary situation only because I have a God in which I am in relationship with who loves me and therefore has my best interest at heart. He loves me and there is no fear in love. Love will always provide the very best to the object of its' affection. It is therefore love which is the search engine for my faith in finding God that allows me to persevere.

The scriptures states that she continued in prayer, she would not give up. Hannah was not giving up on herself or her God. God wants to know do you really believe that I am God and I hold the keys to your destiny and future? If you do, you will not give up and prevail against all odds. Hannah was diligent she arose early in the morning to seek Him. She dedicated herself to God and she made a vow and offered a sacrifice. The son that God would give her, she would give him back to God. Proving there exist nothing in her life that was so precious that she would place before God. She would not be denied. She sought God with all of her heart and worshiped Him with her vow.

In this process Hannah was developing a deeper understanding of who God is, what He requires and the depth of His love that resulted in her trust. Now mind you it wasn't that she changed her desire on having a child but she believed it was the will of God for her prayer to be granted and she continued to trust and believe. She came to an understanding she was made in the image of God and was having a one on one divine encounter with God. Only Hannah and God could understand the intricate experience of this encounter. Even before she conceived she made a vow that she would give the child back to God. She made the vow in faith because she trusted that God would answer her prayer. She was not going to give-up on God or herself. What a great women of faith! Even before the evidence of answered prayers, Hannah was planning to give the child back to God because she trusted in the goodness of God.

Because of her trust and faith in God Hannah received more than she could ever dream. Not only did she receive the child that she prayed for, but she received the supreme ultimate experience a one on one encounter with the Divine. She received these words from the Lord as spoken by Eli the priest, " Go in peace and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him", I Samuel 1: 17. Her faith and trust in God and what He was going to do for her was becoming a reality. Simply because she persevered and did not allow her problem to consume her and be bigger than her God she was rewarded. Hannah persisted in prayer, make the ultimate sacrifice in worship and did not give up.

The name Samuel means because I have asked Him of the Lord. What do you have as a memorial that you would not be requited because you have asked it of the Lord. What sacrifice are you willing to make in worship to give as an offering to God. Hannah would not be denied. This is crucial to understand it is at this pivotal juncture that she understood the question to render the correct answer which led to the right response. God is looking for someone that will trust him despite all odds. Hannah was barren for a long time and the odds of her being able to conceive were against her. She however went to the only One who could turn the odds in her favor and trusted Him to do so. She was not to be denied and decided to put her unequivocal trust in God.

It takes faith and love to trust God. These two spiritual keys work hand in hand together. You cannot have one without the other. Hannah's trust in God was built on a healthy understanding of who God is the result of her, "one on one " encounter with God. This encounter had it requirements that was built on an understanding of God forged through pain and suffering. Hannah understood as the Apostle Paul " That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable unto his death", Philippians 3:10. She realized it is in through those painful areas of our lives that he can meet us where we feel the most vulnerable to give us hope and comfort to demonstrate His divine healing and deliverance. Only through our trust and faith in these hard places can we come to an understanding of who God really is.

Question number three: Will you totally surrender to God and allow Him to effect His divine plan through you? In this process Hannah truly discovered the essence of who God is. Initially she was seeking self-fulfillment through a child but the Divine was seeking to have a one on one personal encounter with her. " So the woman went her way and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad", I Samuel 1: 18. She and her husband worshipped God. This is critical to understand that Hannah believed God by believing in what God had said. Worship means to honor God simply for being God through the spiritual comprehension of His Word. Her request had not been manifested, but she worshiped Him by honoring His Word. This takes great faith.

Hannah learned that if she did her part, God will do the rest. Her part was to believe God at His Word and live a life which honors Him. A life of honor meant she would not be depressed but a transformed woman of faith, empowered by the love of God. She would demonstrate her belief by living out her faith. The scripture stated she was "no more sad" but worshiped God. It is very difficult to be sad while you are worshiping God. In worship you began to enter into the presence of God and His power transforms you to believe and do the impossible. Because she was able to surrender to God Hannah was able to enter into a deeper understanding through worship of who God is.

Hannah discovered through surrender and worship:

• She learned that He knew all about her and loved her for who she was. Barren or with child she was of value to Him. She was made in His image. Hannah called him "Holy" which means set apart, transcendence, there is no one is like this God.
• Hannah found that what she really needed was to have a one on one divine encounter with God. To come to an understanding in her heart and soul of who He was and what He was to her. He was truly the only one that could fill the emptiness in her life. Just as Job experienced God through His pain and suffering, so did Hannah.
• He was her rock when she wanted to give up he sustained her. He had a plan for her life though it appeared painful the plan was to allow the bow to drive the arrow to Him. He is sovereign, all powerful and just. He alone would deal with her enemies. "He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in the darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail" I Samuel 2: 9

I was reading a very well known scripture "For God so loved the world", John 3:16. This scripture evokes a corporate understanding that God sent Christ into the world to save the world. Recently I happened to be reading a revised version which read He sent "His one Son". That statement to me was very personal. He sent His one Son to have a one on one encounter with me, to become intimate with me. It is comforting to know that God cares about me the individual. I can enter into an intimate relationship with him to know and be known by only Him. It is from His love that I can have true peace and contentment just as Hannah. An intimate relationship that is fueled by my pain and sorrow, He will enter to demonstrate His love and care. Not only did Hannah conceive Samuel " And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord" I Samuel 2:21.

We too can be like Hannah if we understand what God is asking of us and give the right response through lives which honor him. In the end Hannah changed from a woman who was letting her circumstances get the best of her to becoming a woman with a testimony of what God can do. Simply because she endured the process and had a one on one encounter with God. Hannah persevered and not only did she get what she wanted from God but she obtained a deep personal relationship with God. Hannah became intimate with God simply because she unlocked the answers to the mystery questions to be able to reach her destiny. Hannah's life was never the same again she was a changed woman. Not only was she changed, her family was changed, her nation was changed and the world for generations to come because of her life testimony was changed.

We too can reach our divine destiny as Hannah. We need only provide the right answers to these life transforming questions. Even in the face of obstacles and adversity those that believe in God by faith will comes to an understanding of who God is. The only way that faith which works by love is tested is through time hammered by pain and suffering. The choice clearly becomes ours. Do we choose to be victimized by our circumstances or do we seek God r to reveal our purpose and destiny? Do we allow our pain and suffering to abort us from reaching our destiny? Or do we choose to follow in the footsteps of Hannah and move into a deeper intimate relationship with God which can ultimately impact ourselves, our families, our community and even the world? God who is always in control removed Hannah's reproach, pain and sorrow. He can do the same for us if we decide to have a "Divine one on one encounter" and heal us in places no one else can ever reach.