A Love Beyond Description

I was inspired to write about God's love through the "What is Love Series" being conducted in our local church (at His Life City Church) for the whole month of August. It covers the extravagant, healing, assuring, empowering and overflowing love of God.

I can feel it! Those warm embrace, pronounced acceptance and the overwhelming spirit. It all boils down to the lavish love of God - a love that does not need to be earned.  

Sometimes we don't feel lovable. There are a lot of battles in our mind that would tear us down. We even tend to delve into our mistakes and swim in guilt that the enemy may impress us. Oh that's really horrible!  But God doesn't want us to dwell in our failures and shortcomings. His sufficient grace has covered all that could hinder us to walk straight toward Him - all we need is a heart that is willing to surrender. Let us remember that God has demonstrated his love for us: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

How can we define God's love? How we comprehend His ways?
There are no words to describe how much He loves us. The moment God created us and gave His only Son Jesus to save us, we already experienced a love beyond description. God's love can forgive even our hearts refuse to forgive our own weaknesses. We are always appreciated even we feel unimportant. Amazing grace! How can we refuse such love that is unconditional?

Feel free to grasp the stretched arms of God. He adores us and nothing can be compared to His love.

Psalm 136:26
    Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

The Longing of her heart!

I would like to create circles through Hannah’s life – my favorite woman character in the Bible who is well known as the “The Mother who prayed”. Hannah’s sorrow, longing, desperation and faith placed a mark in my soul.

Getting familiar with Hannah, here’s the anecdote…

Hannah, a beautiful name that means “grace”, was a very ordinary woman who lived in an extraordinary time – a wife, mother and homemaker. She was married to a man named Elkanah who dearly loved her but he also had another wife. The other wife, Peninnah, had children but  not Hannah – “the Lord had closed her womb” a barren woman. The story begins in 1 Samuel 1:1.

Heart’s desire – Grace – Desperation – Purpose

Amplifying the circles with these points I learned from her journey as a woman – Hannah, a woman of prayer.

Heart’s Desire

What was her heart’s desire?

Since she was a barren woman, she begged and wept bitterly and prayed for a son.

1 Samuel 1:10 “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.”

She was driven to prayer by the lack of a child – it was a great sorrow to her. She entered into the Lord's tabernacle to pray  for her deepest need. She even made a vow before God, a promise to God that if she bore a son, she would give him back for God's service. Hannah followed through on that promise and God was honored.

Like Hannah, we have our own unique desires. We strongly wish for something. Are you aware that God knows our deepest desires? He’s just waiting for a drive to pray – an approach before His throne.

Psalms 37:4 says.. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Hannah delighted herself in the Lord and God has blessed her with a son named Samuel – her deepest longing.

Are we getting what we want through our own strength and out of God’s will? Let’s examine our hearts.

Grace

Hannah’s life is a living example of grace and how we receive it.

Grace means to find favor even though it hasn’t been or deserved. Hannah didn’t do anything to receive God’s blessings. She simply cried out to Him to help her and had faith that He would – the grace of God did the rest.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

God’s grace is enough! His love is free of conditions – we just need to rely solely upon His grace!

Desperation

Hannah’s prayer was true pleading to the Lord, with many tears – out of a desperate heart.

1 Samuel 1:5-16 “Not so, my Lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

Hannah poured out her heart to God and asked with great desperation. God found her heart – God was pleased in her desperation which was surrendered in prayer.

Hannah’s perseverance is astounding! She never stopped praying and never doubted God’s abilities. She kept praying through her pain.

"Desperation meets Faith"

When desperation meets faith

The curse is broken

A closed mind is open

Words of healing are spoken

When desperation meets faith

Jesus moves with compassion

Something good starts to happen

When desperation meets faith

Purpose

For many such “barren women”, life could have no purpose for them. God will use us and our lives for His greater purposes. God used Hannah’s barrenness to meet her in the midst of her trouble.

As I have discussed in my previous post, we are closer to God when we are brokenhearted. Hannah grabbed this opportunity to become closer to God and experience His unfailing love. God closed her womb to see what would produce – it was indeed God’s power! We can stand up like Hannah - just seek, surrender to God and allow desperation to show.

God delights in our prayers when they are spoken from the heart.

God can find such a heart!