When God Puts the "Wrong" People In Your Life
Surely I cannot be the only one who has seriously tried to pray someone out of my life. You know those "thorn in the flesh" kind of people. The kind of people you pray Psalm 35 over like "may their way be slippery..." The kind of people that look for you to fail and when you do (because you're human) they are right there jubilant and ready to remind you of your shortcomings.
Recently, I was studying 1 Samuel 1, which recounts this courageous woman of faith named Hannah. She had one of these kind of people in her life. A hater. Hannah was barren. Hannah would go to the house of God and be bullied and ridiculed time and time again by Peninnah about her barrenness. This woman made it her aim to poke fun and consistently bring to Hannah's mind that for which she deeply hoped for--a child. This woman threw this in Hannah's face consistently. I think we all know what that's like at some level.
What was fascinating to me is that Hannah does not try to pray this woman out of her life. There's no "Lord get this woman away from me" indicated in the text. But, what we do see is Hannah praying and pouring her heart out before God for the miracle that would shut the mouthpiece of the Enemy (I Sam. 1:9-28).
This passage caused me to consider why certain, evil people are allowed into our life's journey. Perhaps, like in Hannah's case, they are there because through their ridicule the Lord is going to show His strong arm that tends to work in the realm of "our impossible". Perhaps, through the insults, God is driving us to become so oppressed in our spirit (I Sam. 1:10,15), that it drives us to pray before our Lord like we never would have before. May the placement of the "wrong" people in our lives drive us to pray with renewed passion and focus to the God that works miracles for our good and His fame!
Recently, I was studying 1 Samuel 1, which recounts this courageous woman of faith named Hannah. She had one of these kind of people in her life. A hater. Hannah was barren. Hannah would go to the house of God and be bullied and ridiculed time and time again by Peninnah about her barrenness. This woman made it her aim to poke fun and consistently bring to Hannah's mind that for which she deeply hoped for--a child. This woman threw this in Hannah's face consistently. I think we all know what that's like at some level.
What was fascinating to me is that Hannah does not try to pray this woman out of her life. There's no "Lord get this woman away from me" indicated in the text. But, what we do see is Hannah praying and pouring her heart out before God for the miracle that would shut the mouthpiece of the Enemy (I Sam. 1:9-28).
This passage caused me to consider why certain, evil people are allowed into our life's journey. Perhaps, like in Hannah's case, they are there because through their ridicule the Lord is going to show His strong arm that tends to work in the realm of "our impossible". Perhaps, through the insults, God is driving us to become so oppressed in our spirit (I Sam. 1:10,15), that it drives us to pray before our Lord like we never would have before. May the placement of the "wrong" people in our lives drive us to pray with renewed passion and focus to the God that works miracles for our good and His fame!
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