Year after year after year

I Samuel 1:7 So it went on year by year.

What is it that went on year by year?  There are several things that are either mentioned specifically or implied that happened regularly, yearly, for who knows how many years.  Elkanah, Samuel’s father, went to offer sacrifices year by year.  He cared about his family and was very sensitive to childless Hannah.  Year by year Hannah felt her pain of childlessness.  It was a pain that did not disappear in spite of her faithfulness along with Elkanah, year by year.  She was deeply distressed and weeping (see v. 10) year after year.  There was not an overnight answer to that distress.  It went on for many years, we don’t know how many.  The beauty of the story, however, lies in the fact that Elkanah and Hannah remained faithful to God through the pain of childless years and in God’s time, He answered Hannah’s prayer.  After Samuel was born, we read of another “year by year” when Hannah cam to see the child she gave back into God’s service, year by year.  She remained faithful through it all, year by year.  Sometimes we can see God in the mundane, the things that never seem to change even though we wish they would.  That's what Hannah learned.

Determination

II Kings 18:3-8 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord … he removed the high places … he trusted in the Lord … he held fast to the Lord … he rebelled against the king of Assyria and world not serve him … he struck down the Philistines.

King Hezekiah is a good example of what one does when determined to do what is right and honorable in following the Lord.  He did not just decide to do what was right, he acted on his decision.  He got rid of everything that might keep him from following through on his decision.  He removed things that would tempt him to sin (the “high placed” and idols).  He rebelled when he couldn’t do anything else, and refused to let outside influenced control his actions.  He destroyed (“struck down”) things that could cause him present or future distraction and trouble.  And he was proactive in his pursuit of doing what was right.  These verses tell us he not only trusted in the Lord.  He held fast to the Lord.  This tells me he was not naïve about the potential he had to give up and give in to the things that could tempt him away from his determination to follow God.

Be quiet!

Matthew 20:31 the crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David have mercy on us!”

I am almost embarrassed to admit that I cannot remember a time when I felt so strongly about something that being told to “be quiet” did not at least tone down my actions or words.  Although I have strong feelings and opinions about certain things, it is not in my normal personality to respond the way these two blind men did to those trying to quiet them.  But these two knew without any doubt that their only hope for sight was Jesus, and they were willing to do whatever was necessary to get His attention and get help.  Jesus understood their desperation and He did not disappoint their faith.  In the Old Testament, I am reminded of Jacob, who did the same thing – not as noisily, but just as persistently when he would not stop wrestling until God blessed him.  It is that persistent quality that I do not want to miss out on and miss a blessing God intends for me to have.  God, help me to be persistent in my pursuit of godliness.