Far More Abundantly

http://kindredgrace.com/

far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think

by Elisabeth Allen on May 16, 2013

A woman stands praying and weeping in the presence of God.

Her name is Hannah. She has a husband, but no children.
Her husband’sother wife has children and mocks
Hannah for her childlessness, for her
barrenness. And Hannah, overwhelmed by longing for
her own child andgrief over her empty womb, seeks
 the presence of God.

She bargains and begs for her own child:

“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 son, then I will give him to the

Lord all the days of his life …”  (1 Samuel 1:11 NASB)

And God says, “Yes.”

I’m amazed and awed by God’s generosity to Hannah.

God gave Hannah her own child. His name was Samuel. Hannah, as
she had promised, gave him to God.
And then God gave her another three boys and two girls.
Hannah asked for one baby. God could have answered her prayer
and given her what she asked for: one baby (like Sarah and Elisabeth).

God gave Hannah six babies.

And I’m reminded, whenever I read this story of her prayer and
His generosity, that her God is my God. He’s Mary’s God. And
Paul’s God. And it was Paul who wrote,

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond

all that we ask or think, according to the power that works

within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in

Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.  

(Ephesians 3:20-21 NASB)

I learn two things from these verses:

1. My God is able. He is able to give a biological child to a barren
woman like Hannah. He is able to part the Red Sea, to
make a shepherd boy a king, to raise His own Son to life. He is able
to give me the desires of my heart.

2. What my God does is not all about me and the desires of my 
heart. Paul wants the glory to go to God. Not just the glory in his
generation or my generation or even the generation of my hopefully–
someday–grandchildren, but all generations.

The story of Hannah reminds me (again and again) that I can seek
the presence of God with the desires of my heart and every fear and
pain of my current singleness and subsequent childlessness.

I can pray.

God will answer. (He promises.)

And I (really, really, really) want to say that He’ll give me what I
ask for and more. That, however, isn’t the truth. The truth is that He
might not give me what I ask for — He might not give me the desires
of my heart.

And so I don’t hope in what I ask Him for and I don’t hope in
my prayers.

I hope in God.

And I read Lamentations 3:21-24 (NASB):

This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”

His love, His compassion, His faithfulness are enduring and 
eternal and therefore I have hope.

I don’t know what you’re praying for, or if God will give you
what you’re asking for — if He’ll give you the desires of your heart.
I do know that He wants you to seek the presence of God when you’re
overwhelmed by longing and grief.

I know that He wants you to hope in Him.

And I know that, somehow, He will answer.

Because that’s Who He is and what He does.  He does  
far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.