"I Will ... If YOU Will"

"I Will  ... If YOU Will"

"And she (Hannah) vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come

upon his head.

(I Samuel 1:11)

 

What does God want?  In Hannah's case, God was waiting for Hannah to say those miracle words, "I Will  ...  If YOU Will," and then He did!  Hannah was barren and wanted a child, but God wanted a Prophet, so when Hannah finally prayed the "right prayer" for her circumstance, God gave her a child. 

We can see this pattern throughout the mighty Word of God in many scriptures where God is wanting something from us for Him to act:

Here, God is saying, If my people will,

then I will  ...

In this scripture, God is essentially saying,

"If you listen to me, then you will dwell safely ...

There are numerous Bible passages where the meaning is implied that a requirement from us brings the result from God:

The implication is:  You will prosper and

be in health in direct relation to how Your

soul prospers.

We get the picture, and the bottom line is that Almighty God has ulterior motives for everything.  What?  Yep.  He is, above all and in every situation, much more interested in the eternal result of our souls, and if He can do something here to further that positive result later, He will do it.  However, you can be sure that He will not override "our wills" to do it, unless we have prayed for His perfect will in our lives.  If we have, at some time, prayed that, then we must not whine when the test or trial comes to justify that prayer.  If we pray, "protect me;" then, that includes "from ourselves" also.  So, if the door is shut on something we deeply desire, we must know that it just might be "an answer" to our own prayer! 

Hannah

Hannah wept bitterly for a child for years, but the moment she said, "If you give him to me, I'll give him to You," she became pregnant.  God was waiting on her.  What prayer have you prayed for years that has gone barren; what desire of your heart has gone unanswered for decades; is there something you so desperately want that you now wonder if God hears you and loves you at all?  Oh, He hears you, and He absolutely loves you, but you might ask yourself this:  How does my desire fit into God's plans?  Do I want a son, but He wants a Prophet?  Do I want money, but He wants souls?  How does what I want fit into what God wants?  What does God want from me?  How can I commit, and follow through, with giving the answer to my prayer to Him?  

Hannah, delivering Samuel to live

with the Prophet in the temple, as

she promised.

You, say, "How does my giving up what God gives me in answer to my prayer, help me?"  Ah, the question that causes the God of the universe to look serious and prophetic  ...  Huh?  Well, think about it  ...  We, humans, all of us, have a problem with self; it always comes back to that; what about me?  We all do it.  So, what if God is always trying to get us to "prefer our brother?"  But, be prepared; when He takes you down that road, it's a long, winding, dusty, dry, lonely, and learning desert road.  What?  Let's just say, God's tests and trials are unique for every individual, but replicated in the perfection of the pearl, in the molding of the pot in the potter's hand, in the prison of false accusations, in the den of ferocious lions, in the fiery furnace of loyalty, and in the Job existence of the eternal question, "Where were you when I formed the foundation of the world?"

Your answer could be in your arms before 5:00 pm today, if  ...  Is God waiting on You?  What words does He want to hear?  You say, "I couldn't do what Hannah did."  It was tough all right, but she had many other children after that; she just had to climb over that initial "Be it unto me according to Your will" hurdle, and join the others who said things like, "Throw me in the furnace if you must, but I will not bow;" or "Perhaps you have been brought to the kingdom for such a time as this;" or "Though they slay me, yet will I trust Him;" and then, there's my favorite statement of all  ...  with her dead son lying on the bed at home and the servant asked, "Is it well with thy son?" and the woman said, "It is well."

Hannah prayed "that" prayer, got her son, and gave him back to God; then said in essence, It is well.  If we're gonna' pray it, we have to mean it; if we vow it, we must perform it; if we want to see it, it's going to come down to those five little words, "I Will  ...  If YOU Will."

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)