How to Receive God's Gift of Confidence // Following Jesus with Confidence, Part 2

When we’re travelling through times of great trial, the first thing that springs to mind is that we must have done something wrong. Maybe … but as I read my Bible, what I discover is that pretty much all the great things that God has done, have been birthed out of times of trial.

1. Hannah’s Pain

Hannah’s story from the old testament is one that absolutely touches my heart each and every time that I read with it. It’s a powerful story of a woman in some considerable distress.

We’ve been programmed these days, that life – our lives in particular – should be filled with success. But the last time I checked, that’s not always the case. And the times when we really need to be able to trust in Jesus with great confidence, aren’t the easy times, they're the tough times.

The Bible knows little if anything about worldly success. God’s plan for you and me isn’t a life of comfort and compromise, but one of sacrifice and suffering. That’s exactly what Jesus promised us, when He spoke to some would–be followers:

Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead. (Matthew 8:18–22)

Now, we’re going to go a lot deeper with this – it’s one thing to hear someone – even Jesus – talking about this idea that following Him often means an uncomfortable journey, but it’s another thing entirely to see this principle in action. That’s why today, we’re going to spend some time with Hannah – so that you and I can discover the secret of having a strong confidence in Jesus, when the going gets tough – because it’s in those times, that we really, really need that confidence.

Hannah’s is a story of adversity and out of that adversity, God births, quite literally, one of the great Prophets that He sends to His people. So let’s just spend the next few minutes entering into Hannah’s pain – 1 Samuel 1:1–8:

There was a certain man whose name was Elkanah. He had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Now this man used to go up year by year from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

No doubt there are some women tuned in today who either have been there or who are in that place right at the moment – but even as a man, I can just so feel the pain that Hannah was going through. Body clock is ticking, her heart is to have a child, and … nothing. But as bad and as tough as that is … it was even worse. Because layered on top of the personal pain, were two other things. The first and the most obvious is Peninnah – Elkanah’s other wife. Polygamy was all the rage in the early days of the Old Testament. It wasn’t until society had time to grow and mature that God revealed that this wasn’t His ideal plan.

I mean it should have been obvious – Adam had one wife Eve, not two or more. But we humans have a way of wandering away from God’s ideal for us. And God has a way of choosing just the right time in history, to reveal His plans. So at this point, polygamy was the norm. That’s why Elkanah had two wives. That would be bad enough except one of them could have children and the other couldn’t and the one that could – Peninnah taunted the one that couldn’t Hannah.

Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her.

A terrible situation. A woman who can’t have children and a rival for her husband’s affections who can and then uses that to rub salt into her wounds, year after year. And the final layer of shame, as if all that weren’t enough, was that back in those days the thinking went something like this: If you were a good and godly person, God would bless you with many children. If you weren’t He wouldn’t. So Hannah’s plight was further compounded by the fact that socially, people looked down upon her. They would have whispered behind her back She can’t be a very good person, look God has cursed her and she is childless. Please … put yourself into Hannah’s shoes for a moment. How do you feel? Terrible right? You’d be asking some serious questions of God – Lord, why are you doing this. I’m doing my best to honour you and my husband. My rival is taunting me. People despise me. Lord what have I done to deserve this?!

I don’t know that particular pains and trials you’ve gone through in your life, but this one of Hannah’s would rank right up there wouldn’t it? I mean you can equate your trials and your pain, with what Hannah is going through. This feeling that God has forsaken you. That God’s treatment of you isn’t fair.

But I’d like to suggest that when you and I are having Hannah moments in our lives, often a mighty intervention of God is the last thing that we expect. In fact, we don’t even expect to be in this rotten situation in the first place, because well, surely God wants to bless me and surely if I’m living through a terrible curse like this, something … something terrible must be wrong in my relationship with God.

It’s that false logic that I would like to kick in the guts today. This idea of – yes I am in God’s favour because I’m being blessed; and no – I must have fallen out of God’s favour and our of God’s plan, because I’m going through this terrible patch. That’s a lie, a distortion from the enemy, who’s dropped this healthy, wealthy and wise lie on our heads. Pretty much all the great things that God has done, birthed out of times of trial. And we’ll talk some more about that after this short break.

2. Hannah’s Prayer

As I look back on that moment when I first laid hold of the truth that Jesus died for me – that, actually … the Son of God became a man, walked the dusty roads of 1^st century Israel and was ultimately nailed to a cross, to pay for my wrongdoing – my heart leapt out of my chest and I decided to claim Him as My Saviour and My Lord.

If you’re a bit like that, you know that desire in your heart to follow Jesus. The problem is when you’re having a Hannah moment, when the going gets tough, following Him with confidence just isn’t easy.

The reason that we’re in the middle of this series of messages – Following Jesus with Confidence – is that we need to know how to follow Jesus with confidence during the difficult times. For me, it’s not enough to be told – have faith in God. That’s a great theory, but how do I live it out when I’m in a difficult position? When everything and everybody seems to be going against me? Those are the questions that I need answers to.

That’s why we’re sharing in Hannah’s story, because through that story, God speaks to us about the how – how to have confidence in Jesus during the tough times. Because let’s face it, it’s in the tough times that we need that confidence. That quiet sense of – I know my Saviour lives, I know my Saviour reigns, I know my Saviour has it all under control.

And this next part of Hannah’s story is all about the how. We’ve heard about her desperate struggle, and now let’s take a look at how she chooses to deal with it. 1 Samuel 1:9–18

After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” And she said, “Let your servant find favour in your sight.” Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.

I’ve never been one to shake my fists at God – some people do. It’s not something I’ve done up to this point in my life, and I pray it’s a place I’ll never get to. But you could have understood it if Hannah had gone to God and shaken her fists at Him. She was deeply distressed and wept bitterly – not only was she childless, but she was scorned. We don’t know anything much about Hannah’s life to this point, but as I read about her further in the OT book of 1 Samuel you discover that she is a good and godly woman. She seemed to be honouring God in every way, and yet this affliction had struck her life – and there was not a single thing that she could do about it.

Well, perhaps not a single thing – there was one thing and she was doing it right now. She was pouring it all out to God. She was praying. Prayer seems like a copout to some – and yet the Bible teaches us over and over again that prayer which yields powerful results is entirely normal in God’s site. And so Hannah engages in that sort of prayer – heartfelt prayer, powerful prayer. I’m sure it didn’t feel powerful to her at the time, as she was weeping there before God. Pouring her heart out. But it was. Because she came in prayer not just to meet her need, she came with a humble heart, offering this child up, should God grant him to her, to God Himself. Giving up her son – should she ever be blessed with one – into lifelong service of the Lord.

Come on you women who have had children – how difficult would it be for you to offer up your precious child to serve the Lord? How easy would you find it to be separated from this little one? But here she is – honouring God above all. That’s why her prayer is so incredibly powerful. She doesn’t tell Eli the priest what it was all about, she just tucks her time with God away in her heart … and immediately, immediately she reaps the benefit of her prayer – she receives peace from God.

Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.

That’s what’s supposed to happen, because Jesus promised us exactly that when we bring our burdens to Him. Matthew 11:28–30

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light

My friend with all my heart let me say to you that the biggest single thing that you can do, to receive the quiet, gentle, powerful gift of true confidence in Christ is to pray. To spend time genuinely in God’s presence. Pray … and read God’s Word. Back to the Psalmist’s words – Psalm 119:105–107

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances. I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word.

My friend if you’re looking for the “how” – how to follow Jesus with Confidence – you’ve just discovered the answer. Through Hannah, through the Psalmist, through God’s Word. The answer is heartfelt prayer. The answer is reading and meditating on God’s Word. Can it really be that simple? Actually. Yeah. It can. It is.

3. Hannah’s Peace

When things are on the up and up, we’re really happy to let everybody know about them – obviously we’re pretty clever and obviously God is blessing us – and so we don’t mind telling people about it, right? But when we’re on the back foot, when we’re going through that rough patch, we mostly try to keep it to ourselves – it’s almost like we’re ashamed about it.

But that’s not what the Bible teaches. Have a listen – Romans 5:3–5

And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us

Quite a different concept – boasting in our suffering – but it’s all about letting God have His way with us. So let’s take a look at the next part of Hannah’s story, in our quest to discover how to develop that quiet confidence in God, in Jesus – during our times of suffering – the sort of confidence that has us boasting in our suffering like the Apostle Paul – way out. Crazy guy that he was.

So picking up Hannah’s story thus far – she’s been through a terrible time of trial – childless, despised because she is barren and so she went to God and poured her heart out. 1 Samuel 1:9–11. And that prayer gave her such incredible peace.

Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer. (Verse 18)

I cannot begin to tell you the number of times that I have gone to God in distress about something – some great drama or problem, some great obstacle in the ministry, or blockage in a relationship –something causing me distress or pain and prayed about it, only to discover His peace.

This next Bible verse I’m going to share with you is absolutely pivotal in my walk with Jesus – Philippians 4:6,7

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

So if you hear me coming back to it again and again, it’s because it beats in my heart as an absolute truth – this promise that if instead of worrying I go to God with a thankful heart and just pour it all out to Him the way Hannah did, the peace of God will guard my heart and mind. That’s what happened to Hannah. That’s what happened to Paul on death row over a thousand years later. That’s what happens to me every time I dare to live out and act out and pray out that promise – 2000 years on and that’s what will happen to you, when you believe this verse, this truth with your own life.

The peace of God will be restored to you. The confidence that you have in Jesus will grow – it’s like a gift from God. It’s so incredibly special. My friend, please listen to me today. God doesn’t want us to be afraid – as He said to Joshua at a difficult time in his ministry – be strong and courageous. That’s His will for your life and mine.

Strength and courage. Now – I’m a pretty strong sort of character, but let me boast here in my trials – when I’m going through a tough patch I have to tell you I don’t feel strong. I don't feel courageous When fear grips my heart, I feel weak and worthless, just the same as you do. The only thing that makes a difference, is praying, pouring my heart out to God and trusting in His Word. Can I say it again – in case you missed it – because this is the crux of it. This is the heart of it. This is how to receive God’s gift of confidence: The only thing that makes a difference is praying, pouring my heart out to God and trusting in His Word.

And it made a difference to Hannah too. She had peace. Her countenance was sad no longer. Hallelujah. Isn’t that what you are looking for? The confidence in Christ, to replace your sadness in times of trouble. But it didn’t stop there. God blessed her, He honoured her, because she honoured Him - 1 Samuel 1:19–28:

They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.”

The man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and to pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the Lord, and remain there forever; I will offer him as a nazirite for all time.” Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems best to you, wait until you have weaned him; only—may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son, until she weaned him. When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three- year- old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was young. Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted me the petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.” She left him there for the Lord

My friend you and I serve a good God. He honours those who honour Him. It distresses me so greatly when I see people travelling through the difficult times of life – people who earnestly believe in Jesus – but they struggle so much to make it through. And so I ask them – tell me about your prayer life right now. Tell me about your Bible reading right now.

And they tell me – I don’t pray, it’s too hard. I don’t read my Bible. Two things that are so simple. Two things that open the way for the Lord to pour His Spirit and His peace and His power and His confidence into our hearts and they’re just not doing those things. Why? It’s so simple. God’s promise is so true. He wants to bring peace and confidence and courage into your heart. He truly does.