Hannah (Letting Go)

Happy Mother's Day! All the mothers

And for those mothers who are on the couch drinking coffee watching live stream, we're

glad you're joining us too. Amen.

Well, it is a good day to be in the house and, and I'm glad

that you're here. Before I get going on

Tuesday, on Tuesday we have something going on here that we have on the second

Tuesday of every month and that is the Business Collective

and if you are a business owner, manager, entrepreneur,

aspiring business leader,

we invite you to come. Josh McLeod and Justin Beshearce lead that time together.

08:00 here at Spring House, there's a breakfast provided for you,

and, I've always left just enriched and

blessed, and you will be too. So I encourage you to be a part of

that if that's something you have capacity for.

We're continuing our story, our series rather, on the Greatest

Stories Ever Told. And, today we're going to talk about a character

in scripture that you all read about this week. If you're following our, our, our

reading plan, we're going to be talking about, a lady

named Hannah. Now not that Hannah. That is is that a Hannah out

there? I can't see. Yeah, that's Hannah. Not that Hannah, but Hannah in the

Bible. And, the Bible actually mentions

several moms in scripture. And though in

scripture moms don't they're not illuminated, we don't have,

you know, expansive stories on on a lot of on a lot of the

moms, they are mentioned here in in scripture. Let me just

mention a few of them. Eve, the mother of the

living, Adam and Eve. Sarah gave birth to Isaac. Rebecca,

the mother of Jacob and Esau. Leah and Rachel were mothers of

the tribes of Israel. Jochebed was, Moses'

mother. Bathsheba was the mother of Solomon. Elizabeth was

the mother of John the Baptist, and of course Mary was the the mother

of of Jesus. There are mentions of mothers in

Scripture, you know, but they're not their stories may not be as illuminated,

but their stories are very connected and very powerful. And I

would probably venture to think that

in this house with this many people there's probably some mothers here

who your story is not very illuminated but your story is very connected

and it's very powerful. It's very powerful.

Mothers, mothers are I think probably the some of the

strongest warriors of our time, mothers. Taking great

care, you know I was I was listening to the skit during the

first gathering or whatnot and I said man, those are actually some puny

things. See, my brother and I, we fought when we were children.

You know, it started with knives and, and it ended with hopefully

not death and it didn't. We're still here, you know, but, may it be a

crashing into a wall or a lance broken or whatever it is, we were

brutal with one another. And my mom still

let us live in the house and still took care of us and

and, and still loved us through it all. But I'm

gonna read the story of Hannah, to you and then we're

gonna read, a portion of the response Hannah had

in her worship to the Lord, after after the story.

So let's listen to the story. There once was a man who lived

in, Ramathaim. His name was Elkanah

Elkanah and he had two wives. His first was Hannah, the second was,

Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, Hannah did not. Every

year Elkanah went to his hometown up to Shiloh

to worship and offer sacrifice to God. Eli and his two sons

served as priests of the of God there. When Elkanah

sacrificed, he passed helpings from the sacrificial mill around

to his wife, Peninnah, and all her children, but he

always gave an especially generous helping to Hannah because he

loved her so much and because God had not given her any children.

But her rival wife taunted her cruelly rubbing it

in and never letting her forget that God had never given her

children. This went on year after year. Every time she went

to the sanctuary of God she could expect to be taunted, Hannah was

reduced to tears and had no appetite. Her husband

Elkanah said, oh Hannah why are you crying?

Why aren't you eating and why are you so upset?

Am I not worth more to you than 10 sons? So

Hannah ate, she pulled herself together, slipped away quietly and

entered the sanctuary. The priest Eli was on duty at the entrance of

God's temple and the customary seat. Crushed in soul,

Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried inconsolably. She

made this vow, Oh God, if you'll take a

good hard look at my pain, if you'll quit neglecting me

and go into action for me by giving me a son, I'll

give him completely unreservedly to you. I'll

set him apart for a life of holy discipline. It so happened

that she continued in prayer before God. Eli was watching

her closely while she prayed. Hannah was praying in her heart

silently. Her lips moved but no sound was heard. Eli jumped to the

conclusion that she was drunk. He approached her and said, you're

drunk. How long do you plan to keep this up? Sober up,

woman. Hannah said, oh no sir, please.

I'm a woman who is brokenhearted. I haven't been

drinking. Not a drop of wine or beer has entered my my

mouth. The only thing is that I'm pouring out my heart, pouring it out to

God. Don't think for a minute that I'm a bad woman.

It's because I'm so desperately unhappy and in such pain that I've

stayed here so long. Eli answered her, go in peace and may

the God of Israel give you what you have asked of him. God

began making the necessary arrangements in response to what she had

asked and before the year was out Hannah had conceived and given birth to a

son. She named him Samuel explaining, I

asked God for him. When Elkanah next took

his family on their annual trip to Shiloh to worship God

offering sacrifices and keeping his vow, Hannah didn't

go. She told her husband after the child is

weaned I'll bring him myself and present him before

God and that's where he'll stay for good. Elkanah said to

his wife, yes. Let God complete what he has begun.

So she did. She stayed home and nursed her son until she had weaned

him. She took him up to Shiloh bringing also makings of a generous

meal, a prized bull, flour, and wine. They first butchered

the bull, then they brought the child to Eli. Hannah said,

excuse me sir, would you believe that I am the very

woman who was standing before you on this very spot praying to

God? I prayed for this child and God gave me what I

asked for and now I have dedicated him to God. He is

dedicated to God for life. Then and there,

they worshiped God. And in Hannah's worship, she said this. Would

you stand with me and read from first Samuel chapter two.

My heart rejoices in the Lord. In the

Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth

boasts over my enemies for I delight in your

deliverance. There is no one holy like

the Lord. There is not one besides you.

There is no rock like our God. Father, I thank you that that is

true. I thank you that you are holy, that you are

sovereign, that you are true, and that your promises are yes

and amen. I pray Lord that you would pierce our hearts with your words today

and transform us for eternity. In Jesus' name, and everyone said?

Amen. Amen. You may be seated. Well it is Mother's Day as we've mentioned

multiple times and you obviously know, that is today, but

before we get into celebrating Mother's Day and we are gonna draw from Hannah's

story and I'm gonna speak to the mothers. I want to say two things. The

first thing is is if you're a dude I don't want you to check out

today because while I'm speaking in context to mothers,

God has something he wants to speak to you as well. Secondly

secondly, I understand that, that

today isn't always easy for every person. I want to take a

moment to honor those, those for whom this day may feel a

bit complicated. To the women who have longed to hold a child

and are still waiting. To the women who have walked a painful

road of loss, to the women who have prayed,

hoped, and maybe even grieved in silence, to the women who have nurtured

others as mentors, aunts, teachers, and spiritual mothers,

I want you to know this morning that you are seen.

That you are seen, that you are deeply valued, and that you

matter. We look at Hannah's story and we see a

woman who did not know how her story

was going to end. See, we have the privilege when we read scripture to know

how the stories end. Hannah did not know that God was

going to provide a son, she didn't know the end of the story. She was

not holding a child when she came to the temple. She was

holding a desire, she was holding disappointment, she

was holding devotion all at once. And what changed

her wasn't the moment that she got what she wanted,

It was the moment she poured out her soul to God and said, Lord if

you will remember me I'll give it all back to you.

So today even before we talk about the gift of motherhood we begin

by celebrating the power of surrender.

The power of surrender because whether you're a mom,

longing to be a mom, or carrying a different type of

hope, God sees your heart and he treasures your offering

of worship, every one of you. I don't presume to have the authority

or understanding on what it is to be a mother because I've never been one

and I don't plan to be one anytime soon.

But I've been surrounded by mothers all my life,

lots of mothers, good mothers. And my

my natural, my biological mother has really put up with a

lot when it came to to me and being her son. You

know, as a boy, you know, I would run into her workplace, next to

her friends and I would just speak my mind such as, you sure are

wearing too much makeup. Or maybe I would see a slightly

obese friend of hers and say, when is that baby due? Right in front of

her. And she would be so embarrassed

by the things that would come out of my mouth. We would be running

around the thrift store pulling down clothes off of the racks as we played hide

and seek and knocking into people. We often fought over who had the

most Doritos in the bowls that we were given. We fought, we

fought, we fought, we cried, we needed, we wanted, and mom,

mom was always there. Mom was always there. I believe

that mothers are modern day heroes in my

book. They are warriors. And while we all tend to

go to the greeting card section of Target and Walmart and

Walgreens or wherever you get your greeting cards and you look for a sentimental

card to convey your appreciation and many of times you're looking

for a card that says thank you. After I review my life and

think what I put my mom through, I can't help to succumb to say anything

else to you mom except for I am sorry. I am

so, I am so sorry. You know, it's fun

raising kids. I have four daughters and I watch my wife be a

real incredible mother as well. And the

number one word that's used in our house is mama,

Mama! Because none of my kids nor myself can

ever find anything, even though it's laying right next to us. When we need something

we call mama and she just mysteriously finds it every

single time. Maybe that's your story in your house.

Maybe that's your story. Moms hold things together. They

are like glue. And, and

we so appreciate our our moms. When I, when I was,

younger, I worked at a place called Chick fil A. Am I like Chick fil

A? I used to work at Chick fil A, and, I worked there for eight

years, and there was a single thing I've come to realize that I really

enjoyed about Chick fil A. It's my favorite thing about, being at Chick

fil A. And it was this, at 10:00 at night,

I would walk out of Chick fil A and the dishes were done. The

counters were wiped. The floors were clean, and I didn't have to

think about it again until I came back the next day. Can I

tell you? It's not the same for mothers.

Mothers think about their children is it am I saying the truth, moms?

You think about your kids all of the time. It does

not stop. It does not stop. You don't get to hang it up, you don't

get to walk away, but mothers think about their kids all of the

time. It's while the physical umbilical cord has been severed, the emotional,

spiritual, and mental one is very, very much still intact.

From rendering food for a hungry hungry

child, care, clothing, nurturing support, and emotional

well-being, schooling, provisions, doctor visits,

answering questions, showing up when

nobody else will. There's almost very little in

the vein of appreciation instead a lot of times, mothers, does it

feel like expectation. An expectation, a

weight of expectations. Mom, moms I believe are the warriors of

our day. I have a lot on my plate personally. I've got a lot going

on in my life, a lot of moving parts, but can I tell you I

think most every mom in this place would run circles around me when it

came to the things that you carry and the responsibilities

that you have in being a mom? But even in all of that, something

happens in moms that I see all

too often. No matter how incredible, no

matter how wonderful, no matter how super powerful we think

they are, many moms when they look in the mirror,

all they see is one word, failure.

Failure. And I believe that there are some moms in

this place today who need to hear, you

are doing an exceptional job.

You are doing an exceptional

job as a mom. One of the hardest

jobs on the planet. In all of that we're gonna draw

from Hannah and one of the things that I want mothers

to understand and for all of us to understand today as we look at Hannah's

story is this, your identity is not found in what you

produce. Your identity is not

found in what you produce and producers you are. From the

very first breath of your baby you become a producer and you

do not stop producing, many of you, until either the

Lord takes you home or them home first. You continue to produce.

And so this is a real trick of the enemy, moms,

is that your identity and your value is placed in how well

you keep up with the kids, how well you keep up the house, how well

you're taking care of everything and answering everything else. Your identity

is not taken up in what you produce.

God never intended it to be that way.

Elkanah said, why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more

to you than 10 sons? Hannah lived in a world where

a woman's worth was measured by her ability to bear children.

Her rival Penina had many children. Hannah had

none. And yet Elkanah tries to remind her you are

loved, you are valued, you are not forgotten.

And in the same way our identity is not determined by what we

produce. Children, status, perfection,

public praise, it is determined by the God who

created and loves you. It's determined

by the God who created and loves you. John one says this,

but to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave

the right to become children of God.

Moms in this place, can I tell you that you were a daughter of the

Most High King before you ever were a mom?

You're a child of a star breather before you assigned,

before you received the assignment of of

mom. You are incredible. Moms,

you are beautiful and you are seen because he says you

are. You were a daughter long before you were a mom. Mom

is a job and a responsibility you carry. It is what you

do, not who you are.

Second thing I want to draw from Hannah's story is this,

God's voice trumps all other voices.

God's voice trumps all other voices. As Hannah

prays, Eli accuses her of being drunk.

Peninnah mocks her year after year, it haunts her, year

after year she's coming to the temple and she gets mocked. Can I

just say that's happening in the church?

That's happening, Eli's a priest. Penina,

she's going to the temple and the taunting is happening there, the

discouragement is happening there. Dare I say that

sometimes moms walk into this place

looking at everything around them assuming that everyone else has it together

except for them. Can I tell you that's a lie from the enemy?

Can I tell you moms, the fact that you got here this

morning, the fact that you got all of the people put

together and they're here, even if there's a mustard stain right here or chocolate

milk, God sees

you and he sees your sacrifice?

Have you ever seen this movie? The

Blind Side? It's a good movie. I

recommend it. The Blind Side is a great movie.

Leanne Tuohy, and this is based on a true story,

takes on Michael Oher, and she wasn't a mother

by natural means but she sure was a mother

to that boy. Her identity was not in societal

roles, but in living a courageous surrender life,

a life of compassion. And she did not succumb to the

voices and the naysayers around her.

Of God at work. Galatians five twenty two says, the fruit of the spirit is

what? Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, and self control. And guys, can I tell you, I think some

of the mamas keep their sanity because they are getting before the Lord?

They're getting before the Lord, and moms, when you get before the Lord, you're

able to contend with everything that comes your way with love, joy, peace, because it's

evidence, the fruit of your, of your relationship with the Lord when you're

getting before Him. And can I tell you, it's so important that

you do? Because the Lord wants to convey to you important

truths to your heart about who you are and whose

you are. Hannah had a very

had every, right to react in the flesh. Every right to react in the

flesh, but instead of clapping back at Peninnah or confronting

Eli, she leaned on the Spirit of God, not her

emotions. That kind of self control only comes from

walking closely to God. So God's voice brings

peace before your circumstances change. So I encourage you, don't let

the culture, comparison, or even your thoughts be louder than God's voice.

When you are spirit led, you can walk at in peace

even in the pleasant presence of pressure. And

the last point that I wanna draw from Hannah's story is this,

comparison is the thief of joy.

Comparison is the thief of joy. Penina had

children but she did not have peace. Why?

Because her children became her idol.

Her children became her idol and might I suggest that sometimes

some moms might start out as a Hannah but they end up

becoming a Panina.

Moms, love your kids

like this. Because I promise you

that God God will lead and grow your

kids better than you can ever do. And if

you will raise them with a surrendered posture, not

only will he take care of them, he'll also speak

and take care of you. He'll fill you up. He'll

encourage you. He'll speak truths to you that nobody on this

planet could speak. True things

that would encourage you and change your life. Even at the temple,

Panina taunted Hannah. She wasn't there to worship. She was

there to compare. Comparison poisons

joy even when you have the thing that someone else

wants. Philippians two:three says this, do nothing out of

selfish ambition or vain conceit rather in humility

value others above yourselves.

We don't want to be a people who walk in and evaluate our job

performance based on everybody else and what they're doing. God

has equipped you for the job and task that you

have at hand and you're doing a great job. Mothers,

don't let someone else's Instagram highlight real define your

value. And when you stop

comparing you start celebrating your children, your

story, and your peace, and your peace.

And who here does not wanna have peace? Who wants to have peace in

the house? I know I do. All the families. We're gonna do something a little

different this morning. The worship team could go ahead and make their way back out

here. I'm gonna give some instruction here over the next few moments.

And what the Lord placed on my heart for us to do today,

is I want us to take a moment and speak some

words of life over the moms in this

space. Now I want to be careful with my instruction here

because I really I want something very specific. I feel like the Lord wants to

do something very specific here. We're not going to tell the

moms what they have done. Mom, you

thank you for getting the kids dressed and dishes and all

these, whatever it is, all the chores, all things. That's not what this time is

about. This time is about speaking

words of life over the moms in this place. Words

that come from the throne room of God. Now how do we access the

throne room of God? The Holy Spirit. You

have the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now, moms let

me encourage you in something. Some of you live, especially

with men, live with with some guys who they do not know

simply how, they just don't know how to

speak words. May I tell you, a majority of those men, just because

they don't know how to speak those words, they're inside. They're

there. But today, I want to kind

of exercise those who are sons and

sacrificial. You know, I know my wife, she is literally named three or

four desires and passions

entertained, because she knows that her calling right now in this season is to be

a mom, and there are things inside you that the Lord

has not forgotten. Just like he didn't forget Hannah, and the desires

that she has, he's not forgotten you, and so this morning,

we're just gonna lather you with words of affirmation and

words of love. So if first of all, if you are a mother, would you

just stand? I just want to see how many mothers

we have. If you're a mother, would you stand? Okay. Changed up a little bit

of how I wanted to do this this morning because the Lord told

me if I did it my original way, there may get, there may be somebody

who gets forgotten and that would be a ploy of the enemy. We're not gonna

let him have foothold. So, if you're a mom in this place and you're able

and willing, would you make your way down to this

space?

Yes.

Come on, file in, make room. There's plenty of space

over here.

I'm a bit overwhelmed. Would you guys stand? Can we

just, can we just.

I want to facilitate what we're about to do really well,

so I am gonna give some very specific instructions, okay?

You all, and I'm even speaking to some of you because you are, there's some

daughters here, okay? Daughters of mothers

that are here. I don't want one mother

leaving here without a word spoken over her. Mario,

Jeanie's right back there, you got her. Okay? Not one mother leaves

here without words spoken over, so this is what we're gonna do. I'm gonna invite

you in just a second to come to the altar space, and if you are

connected biologically,

spiritually, to any of these mothers here,

I want you to come and I want you to speak direct words of life

over them. And once you guys, ladies, have had a moment

and somebody has spoken over you, once that moment has concluded, if

you'll make your way back, in our time of worship, that will make

sure that everyone has been seen, because I wanna make sure everybody gets a

word. We're gonna sing the song The Blessing. Because what I

want you to understand is that Hannah's obedience

to rendering Samuel in the temple, set a course of events in motion that led

to our savior, Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Obedience ripples. Your sacrifice ripples,

well into generations that if the Lord tarries, you won't even see on this side

of eternity. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank

you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. On this side of eternity. Thank you.

Thank you for your sacrifice, for your love, for the

joy you exude, and for being strong enough to show up

every single time. You are valiant warriors for the

kingdom. Would you guys come and let's spend some time speaking

life into these women.

What would it look like if we spoke words of life over

our mothers more than just on Mother's Day? Wouldn't that be

something? Somebody said earlier to me, they were like, well I was trying to think

about what I should do and this morning I I acknowledged, I said, well let

me give you a secret. Acknowledge mom next week and see what

happens. Acknowledge mom next month and see what happens.

Right? And guys, if you're anything like me, for, you know, my life,

if it's not on the calendar, it doesn't happen, that's a tool. Put it on

the calendar. Call mom. Encourage mom, you

know? Some of you need to make phone calls today. Yes?

Raise your hand, let me give you a blessing. May the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, cover our

families and homes and thank the Lord for the

gift of mom. In Jesus name, Amen. Be blessed Spring

House.