Brokenness Producing fruitfulness

Hey Lovely Readers,

Today I wanted to talk about something I heard in my church this Sunday. It really encouraged me. And I thought that it will surely encourage you guys.

The passage is taken from 1 Samuel 1: 1-18. The story is about Hannah. Hannah had no kids. She was barren. And in those days being barren was curse. People thought the only purpose of a women is to produce children. And if she is not able to then she is cursed. And to add to her misery her husband’s second wife had kids. Her name was Peninnah. And she loved provoking Hannah and irritate her (verse 6). Every year Peninnah would undergo the pain of childbirth and seeing that Hannah would undergo the pain of not having a child (Pastor’s quote).

The title of the message was “Brokenness Producing fruitfulness”. We all feel like being broken and we just don’t get it. We would be doing all thing right, but still we keep failing. Being broken is not a very good experience. Its not a situation we want to be in for long. But sometimes its not our choice. That’s how Hannah was feeling. Fully broken and desperate.

The illustration the pastor gave was that of a horse. One cannot just jump on any horse and make the horse obey their orders. It just doesn’t work that way. The horse has to be broken. The will of the horse has to be broken so that it does not do what it desires but what the rider wants it to do.

It’s the same thing with us. We become more sensitive to GOD’s voice when we are broken. We understand better that we need GOD more than any other thing we were praying for.

In the bible GOD had to break many people to finally reveal HIS purpose in their lives. Take for example Abraham. He had no children, GOD had promised him children but he had to go through a process of waiting and a time of brokenness. Jacob had to run away from his brother work hard labour under an unforgiving father-in- law. He had to fight with GOD. Loose his beloved wife. Almost loose his sons. He did have a lot of struggle in his life. Job had to undergo a lot of trouble till he got double for all his troubles. Even Peter. Peter before becoming one of the greatest Apostles of his time denied the same JESUS he was preaching 3 times. It completely broke him.

A soil needs to be broken before it can produce any fruit. The bread needs to be broken for people to be fed. The perfume bottle had to be broken for JESUS to be anointed. And JESUS was anointed with that ointment before HE was broken for the sins of you and me. It all starts with breaking.

The truth is that if you are broken today remember that you are in good season. Because after brokenness comes fruitfulness. Brokenness is good.

Now let us get back to the chapter. Hannah means grace. But unfortunately she couldn’t see any grace in her life. All she endured was bitter taunts from Peninnah. There was no grace in her life. Or so she thought. But lesser she knew that GOD was planning to turn her disgrace to grace. GOD had amazing plans in her life.

The other character is Elkanah which means sent by GOD. And indeed he was sent by GOD. You know when GOD leads you through a time of pain he doesn’t leave you alone and hopeless just to suffer. But, HE also sends HIS comfort. HE cares for us. HE will let us be pressed but HE will never allow us to be crushed, we might be persecuted but we will never be abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. You and I are blessed beyond the curse. Elkanah was a source of encouragement for Hannah. In verse 8 Elkanah says, “don’t I mean more to you than ten sons”. Isn’t that real sweet. The pastor said that husbands should learn to be more like Elkanah. Its good to be the source of comfort. And when we as a Christians act comforting to a broken hearted it’s the most amazing thing that we can do.

Peninnah means Pearl. But unfortunately she had no qualities of a pearl. That’s sad. She considered what GOD gave as a blessing a tool to taunt others. Though she was a mother, she dint have a mothers heart. Its funny how people with everything don’t enjoy what they have, but instead they take pleasure in provoking and hurting others who don’t have what they have. How sometimes people don’t value others emotions. It hurts me to think that such people still exist among us. They use their words and their actions to hurt people’s feeling. And they drive pleasure from it.

These people are heavenly sand papers as our pastor says. They keep rubbing us. It hurts us, in fact sometimes it hurts a lot, but the constant rubbing smoothens our rough edges. It makes them less rough and more shiny. So much so that the next time the sand paper rubs us it has no effect. There is no more friction! It just glides through us, and now the sand paper has to find someone else to rub J

Peninnah had kids and Hannah did not. But that didn’t make Hannah any less blessed than Peninnah. We see others blessed and we start comparing. We think they are blessed and we are not. But the truth is just opposite. What they have is nothing in comparison to what we have. Or what we are going to get in the future! Hannah was barren because GOD wanted to do something amazing in her life.

My dear friends, GOD wants to do something amazing in your life too! HE is about to bring you into a season of fruitfulness. There is going to be a divine intervention in your lives.

Peninnah drove Hannah to absolute desperation, so much so that she decided to ask GOD for HIS divine intervention. What she did was a prayer of desperation. Her heart was so hurting that her prayer was not at all like any other ordinary prayer. Even the priest there didn’t call it a prayer. HE just thought that she was drunk and was babbling. He even suggested her not to drink more. Its funny and sad how a man of GOD didn’t realize the conviction in the prayer of a desperate woman.  But the prayer did work. GOD does answer prayers. HE is not a GOD who has ears and cannot hear, has eyes but cannot see. HE is the creator of all things. And HE does care.

Hannah met 3 E’s in her life.

         1)   Elkannah: He was a natural man. All he could do was comfort Hannah. But he did try his best. Stood by her side when she needed help. But there was only so much he could do.

         2)   Eli: He was the priest. He represents influence. His words of encouragement made Hannah stop weeping. Though at first he could not understand the situation, but later he did say what GOD wanted to tell Hannah. He said that GOD has heard her prayers and that now she can go home.

         3)   El Shaddai: And when she met HIM she didn’t have to meet anyone else.

Later on in this chapter it says that it came to pass that GOD heard her prayer. And today I want to let you guys know that, it shall come to pass when GOD will intervene. It shall come to pass for a divine breakthrough. HE who promised is faithful to do what HE told. GOD is not a man that HE should lie. HE will do more than you and I can ask think imagine.

Remember a season of brokenness is a good season.

Thanks for dropping my loves

GOD Bless you