SILENT FRUSTRATION 

Part 2

Scripture readings 1 Sam. 1  

Let's keep reading Samuel. "But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked  her till she wept and would not eat."

We’ve all been there, something is eating at us so much we can’t eat, can’t sleep, and walk the floor all night.   And it didn’t help that year after year she had to endure teasing from her rival. This was not a one-time occurrence; this was an ongoing problem for Hannah. We see year after year Hannah was seeking God on this problem. Many of you are frustrated because you have been seeking God for a blessing since yesterday, last week, last month; but Hannah was teased year after year (we all know the sister was blessed that Hannah didn’t knock her out).  She had been seeking God a long time and her problem had not been resolved.  Some of us give up after a week of seeking God. Not Hannah, she was determined to hear from God.

Silent Frustration. Adding to our frustrations are our so-called friends who continually ask,  “Why are you still dealing with this issue? Doesn’t that frustrate you?  It’s bad enough you are still going through without them to adding fuel to the fire.  Well, let me you this, STOP WORRYING ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE SAYING! STOP TRYING TO PLEASE PEOPLE! YOUR JOY IS NOT FOUND IN SOMEONE ELSE! STOP LISTENING TO THE ENEMY! DON’T EVEN HOLD A CONVERSATION WITH HIM!  If they don’t understand that God’s timing is not your timing, then they haven’t gone through anything yet.  Tell them to keep living.


Many of us are listening to the nagging of others and not what the Word of God says. Hannah chose to let the words of her rival provoke her to tears (which actually turned out for her good). The enemy wants to trick you into believing that you will never make it, that God has forgotten about you. He wants you to think you will always struggle in the things you are dealing with. He wants to keep you so upset that you will take your eyes off of the promises of God. His goal is to make you really believe that God only wants to see you struggle and live in misery. But the Word of God says:
 
“For I know the plans I have for you," plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.   You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jer. 29:11-13

God's plan for you is prosperity! I am not only referring to financial but spiritual, physical and emotional prosperity as well. If you fail to understand that, you will live defeated and never come into the completion that Christ is building.  STOP LISTENING TO THE ENEMY!

You must get to the place within the Lord where nothing offends you.  

Psalm 119:165  Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

There is a point in your walk where you can't be offended! Nothing means nothing. I didn’t say it; it’s in God’s Word. So if you are easily offended or take offence to stuff, your love for the word is not where it should be or could be. David says great peace have they that LOVE THY LAW. I am the first to admit that I am not quite there yet, but I thank God that I am not where I used to be. I am striving with every breath that I take, and I am looking forward to the moment when NOTHING SHALL OFFEND ME!

Your relationship in Christ has to run so deep that you can stay focused on winning souls regardless of what people say. Our problem is like Hannah; we get frustrated because of people provoking us. Hannah's rival was trying to make a competition with her. You don’t have to compete with anyone in your walk with the Lord.  There is no need for competition in the Kingdom. What He did for them He
will surely do for you.

Psa 84:11  For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 

Act 10:34  Then Peter opened his mouth, and said; Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter  of persons:

 


Hannah's frustration was mainly due to the fact she let someone else's words dictate her happiness, as so many of us have done.  Even though she was blessed with a double portion in another area, she was still allowing Peninnah to upset her. Instead of counting her blessings
(as we sometimes forget to do) she was focusing on the things she didn’t have. You may be lacking in one area of your life, but if you take a good look around you, God has giving you a double portion in other areas of your life.  Stop focusing on what you think He hasn’t done, and start looking at what He has given you.  Stop focusing on who has left you and start looking at who is with you. If God is for you then who can be against you!!

Stop focusing on the problems, and start praising God for the answers. Recognize that God is with you in the midst of what you are going through, He is on the ship with you, and He is not going to allow the enemy to win.  Stop getting frustrated about situations that God has already given you the answers to. Yes, He has, read the WORD! You are victorious with Him over all the enemies of your soul! Start praising Him now!  Stop gripping and start walking in truth. God is obsessed with seeing you get the victory. Why else would He have become flesh? Why else would He have died on the cross?  Why? Because He wanted you to have the victory!  He wants you to be victorious with Him! God is awesome!

 

Let’s continue. Start reading at 1Sam. 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

I have to believe that Hannah just couldn’t take it anymore.  She had grown tired of her rival provoking her year after year, and she had to hear from the Lord.  Hannah made her way to the temple of the Lord like she had done so many times before, only this time the only thing she had on her mind was hearing from the Lord, not competing with Peninnah (notice the difference).  As tears fell from her eyes she prayed and cried out to the Lord making Him this vow: 

 “O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” 

I believe that Hannah had prayed so, that she had forgotten where she was, had lost track of time, (you know how it is when you need to hear from the Lord, nothing or no one matters) because the word says “and it came to pass that she continued praying”.  The priest was used to people saying their quick prayers and leaving, but Hannah, was still there, and he couldn’t hear what she was saying, and I believe her body must have been swaying back and forth as her lips moved with prayers to the Lord, because Eli, the priest thought she was drunk.  She was drunk all right, caught up in hearing from the Lord.  I believed Hannah. Like Jacob was determined she wasn’t going to stop praying until she got her blessing.  (read Gen 32:24-26).  The priest came in and questioned her she explained that she wasn’t drunk, but was of great sorrow, and Eli said the God of Israel would give her what she had asked … And the Lord remembered her.” 

This wasn’t the first time Hannah had prayed, so what did Hannah pray this year, that made God listen? In the beginning (my opinion), Hannah wasn’t praying from her heart, but could have been praying because she was competing with her rival.  Praying for spite, or to prove a point. God will never answer prayers for you out of spite. As a matter of fact we His Word clearly says:

If I regard iniquity (sin) in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Psalm 66:18

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye
 may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:3

Your prayers won’t reach God until you get the right attitude, the Godly attitude. The reason we don't have is because we ask with the wrong motives. You can't pray to God so that you can make your enemies jealous. God is not moved by that kind of prayer. God has a destiny for the person that does not like you.  I know you have been praying evil on that man who has not paid you child support but God has a purpose for him.  I know you have been asking God to smite your boss, and that friend of yours, if she says just one more thing; but God doesn’t want you to curse them, He wants you to bless and pray for them:

Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

God has a purpose for that person that is getting on your last nerve.  He might be another great prophet of the Lord.  I know you don't want positive things to happen for your enemies but let me burst your bubble and remind you what the Word of God says: 

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

God is for real with this forgiveness thing (that’s another newsletter). Before you can expect Him to bless you, you must forgive!  God says if you only treat the people right that do you right you are no better than a person who does not know God. That's deep. The reason a lot of you are frustrated is because your attitude toward others are not godly. Therefore when you see your "rivals" or "enemies" prosper it makes you upset. You have not yet learned that God has a plan for the person you don't like or get along with.  Think about it!

I believe once Hannah took her mind off her rival and the way she was treating her, and got her heart right with the Lord, she was able to pray a prayer from the depths of her soul. She could finally ask the Lord to bless her with a child, not to make her rival jealous, but to dedicate to the Lord, to be used for His Glory.  Hannah got self out of the way and God on her mind.

I believed she touched the hem of His garment with that prayer and He moved upon the priest (whom at first thought she was drunk) to stand with her and let her know that God would grant her request. Ask the Lord to bless you with someone to stand with you, someone to offer you Godly advice and someone you can talk to about your silent frustration.  Not a person who will go along with your frustrations, help you have a pity party, and help you stay angry with the Lord.  You need someone who will stand with you and tell you what the Word says.

Someone who will speak purpose and faith into your life and help you became a more Godly person. Someone who will remind you walk in power and the authority given to you by Christ Jesus, someone who will minister to you and help to remove all the bitterness that you are feeling towards the Lord.  That might be a Pastor, a friend, or even me. Now if you talk with me, I don’t have time to have a pity part with you, but will tell you what the Word says about your situation, and I will pray the Lord will give me a word for your breakthrough. 

…And the Lord remembered her.

Isn't that what we want to hear? Don't we want God to remember us and hear our prayers? Hannah forgot about her rival, she got focused on receiving from the Lord. Are you? Hannah got her child and she got a male child (exactly what she prayed), and dedicated him to the Lord.
(Hannah kept her promise to the Lord). Will you?  We sometime forget about the Lord when our breakthrough comes.  Be faithful in keeping your promises to Him; after all wasn’t He was faithful in bringing you out? 

Silent Frustration.  We all go through it, whether we admit it or not.  It happens, and we feel as though we will never come out of it, but I want you to know there is a bright side somewhere, there is a Lily in the valley and He is reaching out to you right now to take you out of your valley of frustration.  His name is Jesus, and if you let Him, He will take you where peaceful waters flow, and lay you down in green pastures, He will remove your Silent Frustration. Remember you are victorious with Him over all the enemies of your soul, even Silent Frustration!

Prayer:

Lord you know their frustrations and disappointments, I pray you remove the pain and replace the joy. I pray that you will bind the strongholds of the enemy that is coming against their minds and for letting Your mind be in them as it is in Christ Jesus. I pray that you will strengthen and enlighten them and show the every way the enemy is hindering, tempting, lying, and distorting the truth in their lives, and when the enemy comes against them one way the Holy Spirit will force him to flee from them seven different ways.  I pray that every trap the enemy sets for them will backfire on him and work out for their good, which is for Your Glory!  I pray that you will fill them up to overflowing with your precious Spirit.

Father, your Word says when a thief is found he MUST restore everything that he has taken sevenfold. Satan the WORD of GOD declares you came to steal, kill and destroy, and the Holy Spirit has exposed everything that you have taken away. Therefore, according to God’s Holy Word you are COMMANDED in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to RESTORE EVERYTHING you took away SEVENFOLD.  The name of Jesus Christ commands you take your hands off of their finances, cars, jobs and home right now in the name of Jesus.  Father, your word says that whatever we bind on earth is bound in heaven; whatever we loose on earth is loosed in heaven. Therefore, in the name of Jesus, bind all the strongholds of the enemy that have been holding back their financial blessings, and in the name of Jesus loose prosperity in their lives according to your riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  Oh Lord, we pray send NOW Your prosperity!

In Jesus mighty name I pray, Amen

 


~ Through The Storms ~

 I did not know His love before,
the way I know it now.
I could not see my need for Him,
my pride would not allow.
I had it all, without a care,
the "Self-Sufficient" lie.
My path was smooth, my sea was still,
not a cloud was in the sky.

I thought I knew His love for me,
I thought I'd seen His grace,
I thought I did not need to grow,
I thought I'd found my place.
But then the way grew rough and dark,
the storm clouds quickly rolled;
The waves began to rock my ship,
my anchor would not hold.


The ship that I had built myself
was made of foolish pride.
It fell apart and left me bare,
with nowhere else to hide.
I had no strength or faith to face
the trials that lay ahead,
And so I simply prayed to Him
and bowed my weary head.

His loving arms enveloped me,
and then He helped me stand.
He said, "You still must face this storm,
but I will hold your hand."
So through the dark and lonely night
He guided me through pain.
I could not see the light of day
or when the storm might wane.

Yet through the aches and endless tears,
my faith began to grow.
I could not see it at the time,
but my light began to glow.
I saw God's love in brand new light,
His grace and mercy, too.
For only when all self was gone
could Jesus' love shine through.

It was not easy in the storm,
I sometimes wondered, "Why?"
At times I thought, "I can't go on."
I'd hurt, and doubt, and cry.
But Jesus never left my side,
He guided me each day.
Through pain and strife,
through fire and flood,
He helped me all the way.

And now I see as never before
how strong His love can be.
How in my weakness He is strong,
how Jesus cares for me!
He worked it all out for my good,
although the way was rough.
He only sent what I could bear,
and then he cried, "Enough!"

He raised His hand and said, "Be still"
He made the storm clouds cease.
He opened up the gates of joy
and flooded me with peace.
I see His face now clearer still,
I felt His presence strong.
I found anew His faithfulness,
He never did me wrong.

Now I know more storms will come,
but only for my good,
For pain and tears have helped me grow
As naught else ever could.
I still have so much more to learn
as Jesus works in me;
If in the storm I'll love Him more,
that's where I want to be.



When things seem difficult, remember you have within you the power to make things better.

Contributors to this newsletter:
Dana Ahern
THE HOLY SPIRIT  

And all of your prayers and encouraging words 

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 www.timeofrefreshing.com
www.wherepeacefulwaters.com

Please continue to send your testimonies, shared readings inspirational pictures and prayer requests to chosen@cfl.rr.com they are truly an inspiration to others.

Be Blessed,
Shearon Hurst-Roach
Chosen One Outreach Ministries