NorMel House Devotions

  Read 1 Samuel 1 Do you long for a child? Do you find yourself on your knees time and again asking God to give you a child? Sometimes, this desire can be so strong it physically hurts. It can feel like a big, gaping hole in your chest, a hollow empty chasm that never heals over; although it may feel like it, I promise you, you’re not alone. So far, we’ve looked at the doubting Sarah and the volte-face doubting and trusting of Abraham. Today, however, I want to call your attention to Hannah, the wife of Elkanah in 1 Samuel 1. Hannah was one of Elkanah’s two wives, and right away in verse 2 we see there’s a problem because of this. “Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.” (1 Samuel 1:2). Year after year Elkanah took his family to Shiloh to worship and bring sacrifices to God. Although Peninnah gave him children, Elkanah favored Hannah. He gave her a double portion of meat because he loved her, and because “The LORD had closed her womb.” Now it’s no wonder Peninnah was jea...

Read Genesis 22:1-19 Have you ever prayed about something and left it with God, only to take it back again? I know I have. I often try to leave my worries and desires with God only to be worrying and wanting again soon after. Sometimes I wonder if Abraham struggled with this. So many times, the LORD told him about his offspring, and yet, he wasn't patient enough to wait for the Lord to give him a child; like his wife he tried to force God's hand. When faced with the most high God he basically told the LORD that He wasn't keeping His promise. In Genesis 15:2-3, "Abram said, 'O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?' And Abram said, 'You have given me no children; so, a servant in my household will be my heir'." Can you imagine being faced with our amazing and powerful God and showing such an arrogant and supercilious attitude? I cringe to think of it. And yet, des...

Read Genesis 16, and Genesis 18:1-15 The desire for children is something many struggle with. Some struggle to get pregnant, some struggle with the loss of pregnancies, and some struggle with the lack of control over having children. These are not new difficulties but have been the struggles of many women dating all the way back to Biblical times. While I personally never struggled with getting pregnant, I wrestled with the desire for and the loss of children. I know the constant anxiety of wondering if each month was the one I'd get pregnant in; many times, I cried out to God to let me have a child to hold and keep. Nine times I prayed that God would let each child live. Nine times I was denied, and my child was called to our heavenly home. The desire for children is something most people eventually feel at some point but most take for granted that it will all go as they expect. We simply don't think of all that can go wrong, until it does. You're not alone in your strugg...