Change Your Countenance

30. May 2008 by Bernice Davis.

Hello: 

Let’s continue our Hannah Story. Our text for today is:

I Samuel 1: 14 “And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. 15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. 17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.” (KJV) 

Okay, this is my favorite part of the story, the answer to prayer.  What I love about this part is Hannah’s faith in God and the man of God.   Eli asks Hannah how long will she be in a drunken state.  Hannah took his comment to mean that she was being characterized as a “daughter of Belial” which is a term used to denote wicked or worthlessness.   Hannah immediately opens her mouth and responds to Eli by kindly saying; “Please do not regard me as worthless, my facial expressions come from the abundance of the pain in my heart.    When Eli realized that Hannah was serious and that she was really in prayer before the Lord, he became sensitive to her plea and commanded her to “go in peace and the God of

Now, look at the text carefully.  The bible teaches us that immediately her countenance was no more sad and she went her way and did eat.  Hannah got up just on a promise.  She was not concerned as to how long it would take to come to pass, or any of the details.  She got a word from God and that was enough for her to smile again, to return to her normal activities, to be able to go back home where her adversary Peninnah was and smile in her face.  The text does not say that the problems that plagued her such as her community status or the problems within her home had disappeared.  The text does teach us that she handled it differently when she got a “word from God.”   Many of us have a promise from God.  We have allowed longevity of time, circumstances, our adversaries, and people in our family, etc to discourage our hearts.  I would like to encourage you today that if you have a word from God, it is enough to get you through whatever you’re facing.  Hannah changed her countenance.  She was no longer sad.   God is faithful.  I don’t care how long it takes for your promise to manifest.  God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He needs to repent.  If God said it, He will bring it to pass, if God spoke it, He will make it good.   Be encouraged.   

Change your countenance.  Remember the word that is on your life, the promise that God gave you, the God given dream that is in your heart.  Don’t be sad.  I know when it takes a long time for things to come to pass, we start second guessing ourselves.   Did God really say it?  Will it really happen for me? I’m so much older now and the list goes on and on and on of the things that we say and hear from others that causes discouragement and even depression.   It’s difficult to long and ache for something and to see yourself somewhere else but wonder if you’ll ever accomplish it in this lifetime.    What makes it worse is to share your dream around people who are not use to dreaming.  Be careful, who you confide in, sometimes people who don’t dream can be so toxic to your goals and ambitions in life.    Well, Hannah got up.  GET UP!!!!!!!!!   Hannah went back home.  No, nothing had changed physically, but her “inward man” her spirit had been revived.  Hope had been restored because through prayer, she had encountered GOD.   OHHHHH!!!!!!!!!  I can’t take it.  God, I love you.     Okay, enough for today.  Have a great weekend and on Monday, we’ll talk about what happens when Hannah returns home.  God Bless. 

Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily. 

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