God Of Time and Process.

"So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, 'Because I have asked for him from the LORD.'" 1 Samuel 1:20 NKJV

The story of Hannah reveals the faithfulness of God: His power and His compassion.

Hannah was the second wife in a polygamous marriage to Elkanah, an Ephraimite, and she was barren. Year after year she suffered shame and ridicule from Peninnah, her rival. The longing for a child was not a passing wish. It was a deep, aching need.

And she did the right thing. She took it to God in prayer. In her deepest grief she poured out her heavy heart to the LORD. Eli the priest, sitting by the doorpost of the tabernacle, watched her and thought she was drunk, because she was so immersed in prayer. But when he understood, he said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him" (1 Samuel 1:17).

Then Hannah went her way, ate, and "her face was no longer sad" (v. 18). She received her answer by faith, before she saw anything with her eyes. This is how we must pray. It is one thing to learn to pray; it is another to know how to receive. Receiving is by faith.

Now the best part of the story is what followed. The phrase "in the process of time" is pregnant with divine revelation and principle.

There is time and process between your prayer and the delivery of your answer. When you pray, receive. But also be aware that the baby will arrive in the process of time. Sarah's story says the same: God promised her a son "according to the time of life," and He kept that appointment.

A miracle or answer to prayer is not always instant. Many times God's hand is at work in things that take time. He is a God of time and process.

Hannah had to know that after she prayed and received, there would still be conception, then a gestation period, then delivery. And God was involved in all of it.

So embrace the process. Celebrate it. Trust His process, and don't abort it. If nobody told you this before, hear it now: what God promised you will take time and process. Be patient, and you will see the manifestation of what He promised.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for answered prayers. Today I embrace the process You have designed for the delivery of my promise. In Jesus' name, Amen.