DESPERATE PEOPLE
But then something seems to change. It seemed like Elkanah and his family made regular trips to the temple. But on this particular trip, Hannah reaches a level where she becomes desperate. No longer does she care who sees her or what she looks like. Her desperate circumstances move her to a place of desperation. In her desperation she cries out to God. It was such a dramatic change that even the priest thought she was drunk. Her desperation was visible. Hannah was praying so intently that her lips moved silently with the words she spoke to God in her heart. Eli the priest saw her and accused her of being drunk. She answered that she was praying, pouring out her soul to the Lord. She told Eli that she was deeply distressed and was praying to the Lord. Many people find themselves in this this kind of situation today. They are desperate within themselves. Often their desperation is written all over their faces, it has become visible. Perhaps you are in such a situation today?
DESPERATE CIRCUMSTANCES AND DESPERATE PEOPLE
When desperate circumstances and desperate people come into alignment, something happens. We can have desperate circumstances and not be desperate ourselves, and things don’t seem to change. We can be desperate but our circumstances are not desperate, and things don’t seem to change. But when we have desperate circumstances and corresponding desperate people, things change. I knew a man who was a farmer close to the area where we lived. He was a very effective farmer and his land and produce was of the highest standard. He worked very hard for many hours a day and was considered successful. One day he developed a pain in his groin. But he was too busy to have it attended to. The pain grew worse and worse and eventually he began to limp severely to be able to walk. Still he did not attend to his health. His family pleaded with him to have it attended to. His clients implored him to go and see the Doctor. His friends tried to put pressure on him, but he would have none of it. Eventually he become too sick to work and died shortly thereafter. You see, his circumstances were desperate, but he himself was not and it eventually cost him his life. On the other hand, I remember, some years ago becoming desperate myself. I married later in life and wanted to start a family. After nine months my wife was still not pregnant. We decided to go and see the Doctor. I remember saying to the Doctor: ‘There must be something wrong – my wife is not pregnant’. The Doctor asked me how long had we been battling to conceive? I replied that it was nine months. I could see the shock on our Doctor’s face. She responded and said to me that some people wait 9 years and that 9 months was not time when it comes to these matters. She brought me back to earth with a bump. You see, I was desperate, but my circumstances were not. Just over a year later our daughter was born. There was no need for me to have allowed myself to have become so desperate.
But when these two dimensions come together things can begin to happen.
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