The poured-out heart

Today: 1 Samuel 1-3

Today's passage describes a few great stories from the life of Samuel. His "Here I am" moment with God is probably one of the most famous. But as I read today, the story that stood out to me was the story of Hannah, Samuel's mother. Hannah was unable to have a child and wanted one so badly. She prayed to God with such desperation that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk. She replied, "The only thing I've been pouring out is my heart, pouring it out to God." Wow!

Her prayer is answered and Hannah gives birth to a son whom she dedicates to God. I loved her prayer at that moment and thought her words proclaiming God's strength and care might bring hope to anyone reading them:

I'm bursting with God-news!

I'm walking on air.

I'm laughing at my rivals.

I'm dancing my salvation.

Nothing and no one is holy like God,

no rock mountain like our God.

Don't dare talk pretentiously—

not a word of boasting, ever!

For God knows what's going on.

He takes the measure of everything that happens.

The weapons of the strong are smashed to pieces,

while the weak are infused with fresh strength.

The well-fed are out begging in the streets for crusts,

while the hungry are getting second helpings.

The barren woman has a houseful of children,

while the mother of many is bereft.

God brings death and God brings life,

brings down to the grave and raises up.

God brings poverty and God brings wealth;

he lowers, he also lifts up.

He puts poor people on their feet again;

he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope,

Restoring dignity and respect to their lives—

a place in the sun!

For the very structures of earth are God's;

he has laid out his operations on a firm foundation.

He protectively cares for his faithful friends, step by step,

but leaves the wicked to stumble in the dark.

No one makes it in this life by sheer muscle!

God's enemies will be blasted out of the sky,

crashed in a heap and burned.

God will set things right all over the earth,

he'll give strength to his king,

he'll set his anointed on top of the world!

Tomorrow: 1 Samuel 4-8

The not-so-desperate housewives

Today: Judges 3-5

Sometimes God uses the most ordinary people to do the most extraordinary things. In today's passage, he used two women I'm referring to as the not-so-desperate housewives. Their names were Deborah and Jael. One ruled a nation and the other killed a mighty warrior, to be exact.

What makes them extraordinary?

Think about it. Even in 2010, how many women are leaders of their countries? Not many. Think back through history to a time well before Jesus walked the planet. I'm sure it was very, very, very rare. Most of the time, women were treated as second-class citizens. However, Deborah was a leader--a judge governing Israel. To top it off, she was also a spiritual leader, a prophet. I'm guessing that she was a pretty incredible chick because she was very well respected by a guy named Barak. Barak was a military leader (a pretty strong guy in his own right!). But when Deborah told Barak that God wanted him go into battle, Barak said:

"If you go with me, I'll go.

But if you don't go with me, I won't go."

Honestly, I don't know if Barak's words indicate more about his lack of confidence in himself (or even God?) or if they are more indicative of his great respect for Deborah. It's probably a combination of all three factors. One thing's for sure: Deborah was extraordinary. God talked to her and through her--and events transpired just as she said:

She said, "Of course I'll go with you.

But understand that with an attitude like that,

there'll be no glory in it for you.

God will use a woman's hand to take care of Sisera (the enemy)."

Enter Jael. She was a housewife--an incredibly smart woman who used her power and her kindness to capture and kill an evil warrior. She invited him into her home, gave him milk and a place to lay down his head--and then proceeded to nail a tent peg through it while he slept! Wow! To be honest, it sounds like a scene from the show "24" (one of my favorites). It would be equivalent to an American housewife wooing Osama bin Laden with hospitality--and then killing him in his sleep. Can you imagine?!? Jael had courage and guts. She used what she had to help God's people.

I've dubbed these women the not-so-desperate housewives because they were confident--in God and in the smarts He gave them. Unlike military leader Barak, they didn't downplay their strengths or God's.

I pray that I can have even a fraction of that confidence. If we all walked in that kind of courage, what extraordinary things could God do with our lives? And what could be the impact on the people around us?

Tomorrow: Judges 6-7