Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Back in 1831, William Miller of Low Hampton, New York, had a burden on his heart: he was convinced by the Holy Spirit that someone must tell the world the news that we are living in Daniel's time of the end, Jesus is coming again, and the Bible indicates that it will be soon. But he felt wholly incompetent to tell anyone.
He was a modern "Hannah" of First Samuel one; his frustration and despair were similar in spirit to hers. He had a yearning to do something he felt wholly incapable of doing, the equivalent of Hannah wanting to become pregnant and bearing a son but facing the frustration of the Lord "shutting up" her womb.
All through the centuries and millennia, Israelite women each longed for the privilege of becoming the mother of the promised Messiah (a promise extending all the way from Genesis 3:15!); finally, extended time came to the Virgin Mary of Nazareth.
Mary suffered the shame and frustration of her "low estate" (Luke 1:48). In some intimate way it paralleled Hannah's. True, she was engaged to be married to Joseph, who was obviously a widower; but he already had four sons whose names are given us in Matthew 13:55; Mary felt the same kind of frustration that Hannah had felt because the poem Mary wrote at her jubilation was patterned literary-wise after the poem that Hannah wrote at her jubilation of answered prayer (1 Sam. 2:1-10).
But the story of Hannah is written again in God's annals over and over as sincere servants of God wrestle with the same despair that Hannah wrestled with--the thought that in some way God has "shut their womb" in that He has apparently frustrated their desire to proclaim the message or do the work they feel constrained to do. They keep asking, "Master, hast Thou work for me?" only to have doors closed against them.
May such learn hope and courage from dear Hannah. And let them learn from Jesus' wrestling with 30 years of boring carpenter work when His whole soul longed for freedom to assert His Father-given Messiahship. But finally His "hour" came. So will yours. Hang on! In faith!
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 25, 2007.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please forward these messages to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. The "Dial Daily Bread" Web site resides at: http://1888message.org/dailybread/
To subscribe send an e-mail message with "subscribe" in the body of the message to: dailybread@1888message.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Back in 1831, William Miller of Low Hampton, New York, had a burden on his heart: he was convinced by the Holy Spirit that someone must tell the world the news that we are living in Daniel's time of the end, Jesus is coming again, and the Bible indicates that it will be soon. But he felt wholly incompetent to tell anyone.
He was a modern "Hannah" of First Samuel one; his frustration and despair were similar in spirit to hers. He had a yearning to do something he felt wholly incapable of doing, the equivalent of Hannah wanting to become pregnant and bearing a son but facing the frustration of the Lord "shutting up" her womb.
All through the centuries and millennia, Israelite women each longed for the privilege of becoming the mother of the promised Messiah (a promise extending all the way from Genesis 3:15!); finally, extended time came to the Virgin Mary of Nazareth.
Mary suffered the shame and frustration of her "low estate" (Luke 1:48). In some intimate way it paralleled Hannah's. True, she was engaged to be married to Joseph, who was obviously a widower; but he already had four sons whose names are given us in Matthew 13:55; Mary felt the same kind of frustration that Hannah had felt because the poem Mary wrote at her jubilation was patterned literary-wise after the poem that Hannah wrote at her jubilation of answered prayer (1 Sam. 2:1-10).
But the story of Hannah is written again in God's annals over and over as sincere servants of God wrestle with the same despair that Hannah wrestled with--the thought that in some way God has "shut their womb" in that He has apparently frustrated their desire to proclaim the message or do the work they feel constrained to do. They keep asking, "Master, hast Thou work for me?" only to have doors closed against them.
May such learn hope and courage from dear Hannah. And let them learn from Jesus' wrestling with 30 years of boring carpenter work when His whole soul longed for freedom to assert His Father-given Messiahship. But finally His "hour" came. So will yours. Hang on! In faith!
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 25, 2007.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please forward these messages to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. The "Dial Daily Bread" Web site resides at: http://1888message.org/dailybread/
To subscribe send an e-mail message with "subscribe" in the body of the message to: dailybread@1888message.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
