Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

El-de'a Try putting yourself in Hannah's position. You're a godly person. You don't hold grudges. You don't gossip about others. Your prayer life is strong and consistent, and you do your best to obey the scriptures. You're on God's side, and yet...your life is anything but a primrose path. You can't seem to get pregnant, which in the ancient world was a mark of shame because many mistakenly thought it was a sign of God's judgment. To make matters worse, your husband has another wife who has no problem conceiving, and she reminds you of it every chance she gets. Year after year, your desire to have a child of your own goes unfulfilled, despite your dedication to God. If you're Hannah, there's the ever-present temptation to raise your fist heavenward and yell, "This just isn't fair...You're not fair!" But she never does. How was she able to keep her head above the waters of disappointment for all those years? A window of insight is opened for us in her prayer of thanksgiving after God finally allows her to conceive. It's in this prayer, after years of patient suffering, that she addresses God as "the God who knows." In the Hebrew, it's the name El-de'a. Hannah knew that God was intimately aware of what she was going through all those years. She knew her life hadn't fallen through the cracks, and that what was happening to her on earth was also registering in heaven. She knew her God to be El-de'a, the God who knows. And just knowing that He knew, sustained her in a powerful way. When we're going through a season of suffering or a prolonged trial, we need to be mindful that God knows. He hasn't lost track of us or swept us aside. He knows. He's El-de'a, and sometimes that's all we need to know. Your prayer life is strong and consistent, and you do your best to obey the scriptures. You're on God's side, and yet...your life is anything but a primrose path. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?