Holy vision helps us see beyond our wants and trust God’s will in the wait.
“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” —1 Samuel 2:2
Dreaming. Praying. Waiting. Hoping. This ongoing cycle is an adventure bursting with opportunities to witness God’s mighty and merciful hand leaving prints of faithfulness on every aspect of our lives. But when waiting starts to exhaust us, it’s easy for our vision to narrow. Doubt, insecurity, fear, and impatience can trickle into our minds and prick at our guarded, but tender, hearts. Can we really reach those dreams? Does God truly hear our prayers?
What happens when our faith is stretched, seemingly to its breaking point? What about when we reach for those dreams and fail? What happens when we see our prayers answered in such a way that it changes what we’re waiting for and diminishes our confidence?
After doctors told my friend Diane Dokko Kim that her son was cognitively disabled, she admitted to becoming “spiritually crippled.” The dreams she had for her son were gone forever. He would never be able to experience the life she desired for him. She struggled with overwhelming fear. Guilt battered her weary soul. She battled feelings of inadequacy when faced with her redefined role as a parent of a child with special needs. She sobbed through night after night of processing prayers: Why my son? Why me? What will happen to him without me?
Emotional turmoil can prune our tender hearts and transform tight-fisted prayers to open-palmed cries for mercy. Wrapped in the grace of God, Diane and her husband loosened their grip on their picture of a perfect life for their son. They depended on the Lord for the power to take one step at a time and trust one breath at a time; and He helped them sift through the ashes of their dreams to discover the beauty of rekindled hope. Diane now shares her story while wearing a Savior-Dependent Survival Badge. Encouraging others by assuring them that they’re not alone, she proves day by day that waiting on God is worthwhile. In her book, Unbroken Faith, she affirms that hope is plentiful in the refuge of God’s relentless love and faithfulness.
Diane’s beautiful redemption story reminds me of Hannah’s bittersweet surrender that led to one of the most remarkable demonstrations of selflessness in Scripture. Hannah was one of Elkanah’s two wives. The Bible tells us, “Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none” (1 Samuel 1:2). Tormented by years of Peninnah’s cruel mocking, Hannah wept bitterly and begged God to open her womb. In her longing for a child, she failed to appreciate the love her husband poured over her and didn’t even seem to acknowledge the love God had for her. She pleaded with the Lord and made promises from the depths of her desperation. Facing ridicule and false accusations, Hannah prayed with fierce faith until the local priest, Eli, blessed her, giving her confidence that God would answer her prayers. Though thrust into another season of wandering in the wait, Hannah’s perspective had changed. Now believing that God would open her womb, she accepted His timing as perfect and, when she gave birth to Samuel, proclaimed Him as the God who answers prayers.
From the tone of her prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1–10, it seems as if Hannah was able to keep her grip loose in a show of loving trust. It seems evident that Hannah worshipped the Lord, her Rock, while waiting with expectation, knowing she would have to give up the precious child she’d been dreaming of for years. But as she prayed after surrendering Samuel, Hannah revealed her deepest desire was to please the God who heard her, answered her prayer, and prepared her to walk through the wait with faith secured in His proven faithfulness.
With renewed hope strengthened through the gift of holy vision, Hannah learned that freedom of love, in her case, meant to have her son, not to hold him forever. It seems that she was able to acknowledge Samuel was ultimately God’s beloved child, a child with a purpose greater than what she was able to see, a child the Lord loved more than she could even begin to fathom. After she placed Samuel into God’s hands, she bore five more children. With an unselfish love, Hannah marched on, offering support from the sidelines, as Samuel fulfilled his purpose in God’s greater plan.
Hannah’s life is a beacon of hope that still inspires selfless surrender. When pleasing God overrides our desires to demand our way, we develop holy vision. With holy vision, we too can proclaim the Lord is trustworthy as we place our lives, and the lives of those we love, into His care forever.
—Adapted from Waiting for God by Xochitl Dixon. Used by permission of Our Daily Bread Publishing®, Grand Rapids MI. All rights reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from Our Daily Bread Publishing® at permissionsdept@odb.org
19 Responses
Thank you Eryn you made me think that He can rescue us at anytime, in my broken Venezuela, I’ve been praying and sometimes fasting for over 20 years
Every family has lost sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, nieces, property, food, during these horrific times of two dictatorships one after the other.
The country was ransacked by them and many accomplices who benefited financially.
Both my parents died (64 & 65 yrs), I have one daughter and one son abroad, we really need a miracle.
Maite, thank you for these words. Prayers over your family. We are so grateful for your honest to what is around you and the willingness to share it.
Thank you Lord that we can find you in the midst of what feels like a deeper awareness to the depravity on this earth.
Maite, have you joined our women’s prayer group and let us know how we can cover you in prayer? https://www.facebook.com/groups/1065571583891975
Eryn Co-Host to God Hears Her Podcast
Thank God for faithful servants. You shared your deepest thoughts of love grace and mercy and forgiveness. I needed desperately to hear your Beautiful words of encouragement and so much more. I needed desperately to share with my loving sister Julie at this moment in time. My heart is heavy with the love of God. I hunger and thirst for the truth of God and "godhearsher" has provided.. Thank you precious people of our Lord and Savior.
Sincerely In Christ
Peggy Blackshire
Thank you Peggy for these words. We are so grateful for the tenderness of your heart and the surrender to know truth you expressed towards our Heavenly Father.
Carolyn, Thank you so much for sharing this. What beautiful faith you have in the midst of this season of your life with your family.
Please join our women’s prayer group and let us know how we can cover you in prayer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1065571583891975
Eryn – Co-Host to God Hears Her Podcast
Wow!! Incredible story
Thank you for reading Sherri!
Amen I needed this.
Yes! We are so glad it provided encouragement!
What a powerful write up. I needed this. I know the Bible advises us to trust in the Lord. He know everything about us, I pray and trust in Him in Jesus name. Amen
Such a beautiful learning Elizabeth. Trust sometimes doesn’t come with out a fight of our flesh. So encouraged this in inspired you in your relationship with the Lord!
I have been so lonely for so long, as I no longer have my husband or son. I know the Lord loves me and I love him and I pray to be a helping, serving servant. I do not go many places because of this horrible virus affecting our world. I look forward to the day when life gets good again. I will go to my church, the senior center and yes, the gym and who knows, maybe some day I will have a new companion. Until that time, I will be a prayer warrior.
It is so beautiful to read your words and see that your heart has not become hard or jaded but soft for the Lords love and companionship. We pray for comfort in the dark nights of loneliness that you will experience a relief to a weary heart. Thank you for sharing. The God Hears Her Community is here with you. If you ever want more prayer, please join our prayer group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1065571583891975
Thank you, this is exactly what I need today. I have been praying, fasting, and waiting on the LORD. I at times feel it taking longer than I expected but I know HIS timing is perfect. I will keep holding on to HIM and look forward for my testimonies 🙏
Yes! So good. His timing shows us more of where we find our comfort and our understanding of Him, an opportunity to grow even closer with Him!.We are so grateful for your words Jennifer!
This is so timely and a blessing to be reading it while I, too, am waiting for the gift of a child. I read Xochitl’s book earlier this year and am thankful for the reminder. God Bless!
E.L.M, we are so encouraged that this encouraged you in this season of questions and waiting. Honored that you are part of the GHH community!
What a beautiful commentary! I needed this today. God bless you!
I have been praying, waiting and begging God to heal my broken marriage. We have been married for 25 years and have had many struggles, including infidelity, disappointment, trust issues and I could go on. I know God has a plan and wants us to have a marriage that glorifies Him! We have been through biblical counseling our entire marriage. This article was very encouraging to me regarding my faith, the waiting process, knowing that God hears and loves me very much. Even when I don’t sense His presence.
Thank you for your faithfulness!
Dianne
Diane, we are so grateful for your vulnerability and your heart that is so clearly set on Gods presence in your life. As someone that too has come from brokenness in a marriage, I understand that ache and we pray that the Lord will hold your heart and your husbands. We pray for comfort when nights feel heavy and we pray that you will begin to see the fruit of your faithfulness to knowing Gods kindness in this weary season. GHH community is here for you.
Grateful for you,
Eryn
Co-Host to GHH Podcast
Please feel free to join our prayer group as well: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1065571583891975