Wise Investing Part 2

Day two hundred twenty-nine

There are times when my heart doesn't feel right.  Usually it has something to do with my reaction to someone or something they did.  It is not a pleasant feeling and when it happens it really bothers me.  My prayer this morning is a plea to the Lord to please make my heart a better place.

1 Samuel 1-2
In my last post I talked about the wise investment that Hannah made in her family.  Hannah's family was important to her and she put a lot of effort into overcoming her personal challenges to improve her family relations.  It also appears that faith was very important to Hannah.  Today I would like to look at Hannah's wise investment in faith.

Her Faith Was Personal - v. 10-11; 2:1-10 - In these verses, we see a woman who knows the Lord on a personal level. The words she uses in her prayer and her praise say a lot about her relationship with God. She had a personal relationship with the God of Israel. She was a believer and she was openly active in the practice of her faith.

The greatest single investment we can make in life is that of investing in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ! Not just a casual brushing up against the things of God, but a real and vital relationship with Him that controls the way we live our lives every single day.  Nothing in time or eternity is as important as our personal relationship with Jesus Christ! This should be the biggest investment in our portfolio!

Her Faith Was Practical - v. 10-18 - Through her prayer and her dialogue with Eli we see that Hannah was a woman who possessed a practical faith in God. She didn’t just know about Him, she knew Him and she trusted Him for all her needs. She leaned upon Him and trusted Him for the impossible in her life. She didn’t just talk about faith in God, she reflected it in the way she lived.

Again, Hannah sets the standard that we should resolve to meet. Not only should we possess a testimony concerning our faith, but we must live out that testimony day by day as we go through life. Nothing makes an investment in the lives of others around us like a genuine testimony expressed in our actions. A practical faith is a proclaiming faith and it always points others to Jesus Christ! 

Her Faith Was Profound - v. 11, 20-23 - More than anything in the world Hannah wanted a child. She wanted to give that gift to her husband and she wanted to experience the fulfillment of motherhood. She knew this was impossible apart from the work of the Lord so she believed in God for the impossible and promised God the incredible in return! She asked God for a son and she promised to give that son back to the Lord!

Hannah’s was no superficial faith! She had a depth of faith that is rare in this world. What a blessing it is when, as investors in faith, we come to the place where we can believe in God for the impossible situations in our lives and willingly give everything to Him for His glory. That is the kind of faith God is looking to develop in each of us! That is the kind of faith that is always honored by the Lord (v. 19-20).

How do we build faith like Hannah's?

One way to build your confidence in God is to form a habit of remembrance.  Frequently thank the Lord for what he's done for you, build a habit of gratitude.  By doing this we deepen our trust in God's compassion, mercy, faithfulness, and power. 

Another way is to pray to Him often.  Not a run of the mill prayer, but a heart to heart prayer. He wants to hear our sorrows along with our joys.  He wants to hear us say that we love Him.  When we express our feelings to Him in an honest, non sugar-coated way, we are letting Him know that we trust Him and His plan for us. 

These are just two investments that I am personally working on to build Hannah-like faith. I see the wisdom in her choices.  I recognize that I need faith like hers to get through the challenges that have been placed before me.  I need to be able to say that I trust the Lord and then live my life like I believe it. I need the comfort of knowing that God will bless me in my times of need.  I need to make a wise investment in faith!