The Other Way
“He keeps the feet of His godly ones, but the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; for not by might shall a man prevail.” 1 Samuel 2:9 NASB
Not by might – Multiple Choice Question: How do you get things done? Strength. Power. Ability. Force. Endurance. Potency. None of the above. It’s likely that “none of the above” would not be on your list if I hadn’t mentioned it. In our world, “none of the above” sounds like “do nothing,” and that just isn’t how things work. But Hannah knew that “none of the above” was her only option. In spite of our insistence, God does not work according to our plans.
Once we realize this, we tend to choose one of two options. We either acknowledge that God’s ways are not our ways and continue to do what we have always done, or we decide that since God’s ways are not our ways there is nothing more for us to do. Both are mistakes. While man does not prevail by his own strength, that does not mean his strength isn’t needed at all. It means that his strength is enlisted by God’s purposes when God decides to use it. Our job is to be constantly ready for use. We are the tools. He is the builder. To think otherwise is to mistake a hammer for an architect.
In Hebrew the phrase lo bekoah (“not by might”) is definitive. It employs the absolute negative. In other words, it is never that case that man prevails through his own power. God is always involved, perhaps invisibly, but nonetheless absolutely. To even imagine that God isn’t the majority shareholder in the game is to make a fatal mistake. It all depends on Him even if we don’t observe that fact. Time after time the Scriputres remind us of Jacob’s naïve discovery, “YHVH was in this place and I did not know it.” Perhaps you and I need a refresher course in divine sensitivity training. Or perhaps we just need a crisis like Hannah’s. Then we might once again realize the hidden in the revealed. What we see is not what we get. Come to the African bush with me and you will be confronted with this awesome experience everywhere you look.
It’s very difficult for us to remain vigilent about God’s invisible hand. It’s so much easier to just behave according to what we see. It’s easiler to imagine that my life is what I observe it to be; to pretend that the divine is not concealed in every drop. That’s when God shows up in the things I cannot control, reminding me that what I thought I could control was really just His generosity for my ignorance. It’s emotionally upsetting to find out that God really was in this place and I didn’t pay attention. How different my life would be if I practiced constant awareness of Him! How easily I slip into the comfortable assumptions that what I see is really all there is! Life crisis may be my only rescue, as painful as it is.
How do you stay awake to God’s reality? How do you practice sensitivity to the divine? What do you do to prevent yourself from being consumed by distractions? Yeshua seems to have accomplished this awareness through constant personal contact and a deep understanding of the Scriptures. He prayed that we might be one with the Father as he was. This is serious. But it demands that I assess my commitment to prayer and study. Please excuse me while I focus on what matters most.
Topical Index: not by might, lo bekoah, 1 Samuel 2:9
One way to focus of God’s reality and ever present working in our lives is the practice of saying blessings for everything. Eating a meal? Say a blessing. Opening your eyes first thing in the morning? Say a blessing. Enjoying a hot shower? Say a blessing. Getting a bill paid on time? Say a blessing. Dropped a glass on the tile floor that shattered into a zillion pieces? Say a blessing. No matter what, in everything give thanks. In this way, multiple times daily we are minded of His presence in our lives, reminding ourselves that He is in control, and that without Him we can accomplish nothing, and that everything He does is ultimately for our good and His glory.
This brings up something with which I struggle. Right or wrong I make petition to God less often as a direct result of conclusions drawn from reading your posts.
On the one hand I see Phillipians 4:6 and its instruction to make requests. On the other hand I have, again, rightly or wrongly, concluded from my exposure to your teaching, that making specific personal requests to God is… it’s hard to put into words, but basically, not proper prayer.
God is involved in every drop of my life is your message today. But, am I discouraged by Him of making personal requests?
I understand that this is my conclusion not necessarily what you teach. Yet, it exists and effects me daily.
The life of faith is, as far as I can tell so far, a life of tension. This is one of those cases. He desires our every care, yet we see that depending on Him is more than voicing our desires.
I don’t know; maybe my experience will help to give you some clarity on this subject, Daniel.
I have a friend who literally prays for all his needs, and the needs of others, and he receives it. He is a chaplain and prays for practical things each day, all day long, related to his ministry like: “may services start on time”, “may there be enough drivers to get everyone to the AA meetings”, “may we have enough food for the outreach”, and such. He literally just fasts, prays, and studies every day – shows up for his ministries during the week – and trusts God for all the details of his life to “fall into place” through prayer; and they do.
In contrast to my chaplain friend, I don’t think I have ever received an answer to a practical petition that I’ve made to God – and so, I gave up trying – and yet, my needs have always been met. In fact, even at a time in my life when I was homeless, all my needs were met in that I was safe on the street, I had food to eat, and shelter at night. I even had enough money, provided by friends, to visit my son twice a month. I never actually prayed for any of those needs, though.
Instead, throughout my whole life, I’ve made sure to leave enough “free time” in my day/week for the needs of others. For this reason, I am known by many as “an angel” because I’ve helped them with some great need for which they didn’t have the means to resolve themselves. For example, when I first met a couple at a bible study over a decade ago, they had four young children at the time, and couldn’t find a babysitter which they needed often. So, I volunteered; and we’ve been best friends ever since. The kids are all grown now, and I’m their “auntie”. A few years ago, there was a couple (i.e. extreme “hoarders”) at a soup kitchen where I volunteered whose house was going to be condemned if they didn’t clean it up within ten days. So, I organized a crew to help, thereby saving them from becoming homeless.
There have been times when I, myself, didn’t have the resources or skills to help someone and that is when I have experienced the supernatural power of God. My son had a dream when he was six-years-old that he was “walking from village-to-village like Paul, and preaching to people in India who had never heard the name of Jesus before; and they all got saved, and renamed the village for God”, he told me upon waking. He wondered allowed if it was true that there were actually people in India who had never heard the name of Jesus. He insisted that, if it were true, he must go there for God. Newly divorced, with limited resources and no missionary experience, I had nothing to offer my son; yet I believed that scripture was true and considered that perhaps my son was a dreamer like Joseph through whom God wanted to accomplish something great.
So, I sold everything of value that I had, and we ate the equivalent of Top Ramen for a year, in order to pay/save for our flight to India. I wanted to be the one to physically enable my son to get to his point of destiny with God, assuming the dream was true. If his dream did not come to pass, at least I would have helped my son to recognize the difference between his own will and God’s.
Long story, short: My son’s dream was fulfilled so precisely that he actually preached in the exact village that he saw in his dream. After preaching, my son also prayed for a young boy his age in the village who was blind and his sight was restored. A month, after returning home, we heard that the entire village had come to believe that YHVH was the one true God because of that boy’s healing, and the elder renamed the village accordingly. The village itself is now flourishing with agriculture, trade, and spiritual teaching that provides for the needs of all the surrounding villages, as well; whereas before we visited, there existed only abject poverty.
My chaplain friend studies scripture, and prays and fasts for all of his practical needs, and the needs of others. I have always had my practical needs met; so, instead of praying, I make myself available to the needs of others so that, when an opportunity arises, I can use what I have been given by God to facilitate His blessing of them. Both our walks of faith are scriptural, agreed? They are just different expressions of how God works in the world through His people.
That’s a very long-winded way of expressing how Philipians 4:6 and Skip’s “not by might” observations are both true: it’s the chaplain (ongoing petitions) vs. Annamarie (not by might) approach to faith. There exists, arguably, a multitude of ways between these two extremes to walk with God, as well.
So, the resolution to your struggle, I believe, is to identify how God specifically relates to YOU on the spectrum between Philipians 4:6 and “not by might”. Then, live your identity in God to the best of your ability, without compromise!
… hope that helps!
What a wonderful recounting of God’s divine providence. Thank you for sharing this, Annamarie.
Thanks for your feedback, Gayle. (I hope it brought some clarity to Daniel, anyway.)
What about you? Are you more of a Phil 4:6-gal, or do you relate to God via “not by might”? Where on this spectrum do you consistently experience His providence?
Many years ago Phillipians4:6 became my stronghold in life. Only looking back has proven His faithfulness.
Count Your Blessings
Johnson Oatman, Jr., pub.1897
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
*Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
[*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.]
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy]
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
David, I don’t know what you mean by that verse becoming a stronghold. Can you tell me more?
As to looking back and seeing his faithfulness, I heartily agree. I have been keeping a journal of my devotions, prayers, questions and studies since 1979. I often go back and reread portions of that and occasionally read it from the beginning. It is a wonderful experience.
My original post is still an open question.
I have to admit this series on Hannah has been quite revealing to me in my world. I want YHVH to allow my significant relationships to not come off as “parallel isolation.” Yes, unfriending is much easier than trying to work something out with another human being. Now, it happens all the time!
I participate with social media and online worship because it is readily available for someone who cannot at will use a motor vehicle to go here and there. Shabbat and Shavuot are my chosen observances in different ways than those around me.
I also am living with the reality that my perception of God’s way and plan, does not stack up with my rendition. This is especially true in living out family dynamics with two young adults whom we adopted when they were 8 and 9 YO, respectively. Bottom line, I need to know that YHVH cares and is really involved in where one finds community, and when life choices made by others have an affect on myself and my spouse.
By the affect I mean, Torah seems to tell me as a believer we are to be involved in the instruction of our grandchildren on living. We live in an era when grandchildren become our responsibility through their parent’s chosen neglect. Facebook and GooglePlus are probably not what God intended – but they are 21st century realities and in some manner a way to give a damn about someone else beside yourself! Prayers appreciated.
David R
David, I also use social media to remain in touch with all my grandchildren. Some of them are old enough to understand TW, and I am always happy to share that with them, because I know it is planting a seed.
Oops, sorry.
The message above to Daniel posted twice. I didn’t mean for that to happen.
I fixed it already
so agree with what you shared Skip. Thank you!
How do I stay awake to God’s reality, practice sensitivity to the divine, prevent distraction? I’m starting now by committing myself to understanding the Hebrew understanding of the scriptures and praying and ridding my mind of all this Greek, man centered thinking. It’s quite overwhelming but I’m enjoying this new journey.
Hi,
Tami, take it one day one reflection, one verse or word at a time. Let it all kind of soak in. Beware though tension in growth is part of the overall package.
Gayle, Glad you could make sense of my post. I reread it and part of it did sound like mash. I was trying to say two things.
First, in the social media world, some of us use that for very real reasons. We don’t drive, we live in settings where it works well to use that, or we have a disability which I call handicapability.
Second, As to God’s ways not being ours, that seems to hold true in the family dynamic. When one’s children choose different from the way we tried to raise them as parents, sorting out G-d’s plan in that takes some doing. Nonetheless, after all the kicking, screaming, wrestling, praise G-d when we admit His way is best and we ask, help me walk in it. Enjoy your role as grandparent!
Shabbat regards to each of you!
David R
Reading through 1 Samuel 1 and 2 was interesting as Hannah’s prayers messages of blessing or reminders are found to be paraphrased by the majority of the later scriptural leaders.
Could this mean that in chapter 2 Hannah has revealed more of the Godly truth than a lot of us find studying the complete bible…
David commented on a previous blog to take one day at a time, Skip commented earlier on as well to live today to the full.
These are similar words Jesus uttered in Matthews 6.
Can it then be that the full truth of God’s intent is in Love God above all, and your neighbour as yourself. Just as Jesus said…
Could the complete biblical history just be a reminder of how and to which extent a lot of people have gone to realize this truth?
That when the reality is much easier… LOVE or rather Agape or as Skip phrased in an earlier blog reveal Godly compassion. It is this that we need to reveal and this is we can only reveal when we seek God first in our lives just as Hannah did and everything fell in place, How she knew not, but she claimed with certainty that it is through the love of God. Jesus said this is how the kingdom of God is manifested…