@AYENCO 16 August 2021 more from that month

*DAILY DEVOTIONAL* TITLE: ONCE UPON A TIME By Pastor Sarah Joseph Jonathan TEXT: 1Samuel1:2- “…the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other was Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.”* Once upon a time, Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. It was so for many years. Hannah was referred to as the childless/ infertile wife/, and Peninnah as the fruitful/ fertile one. The world got used to calling them by their situations. Elkannah wasn’t the least perturbed because he felt that his love for Hannah was enough consolation. Once upon a time, Peninnah felt fulfilled as the hen that lays the golden eggs, and began looking at Hannah with disdain and to talk to her with contempt. Hannah bore it as her lot in life. Once upon a time, Penny turned wild and began insulting and calling her names because of her childless state. *“And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.”* She became an enemy! The Bible rightly said, *“A man’s enemy shall be they of his household…”* I want to believe that due to proximity and perfect knowledge of her (Hannah’s) situation, Peninnah was supposed to be the most sympathetic, but she turned an adversary. Once upon a time, Hannah spent her days in isolation and her nights in tears because all she could see was a childless future. There was none to encourage her: all she got from her understanding husband was, *“I am better to you than ten sons.”* (Really?) Once upon a time, Hannah told herself: *‘enough is enough,’* and decided to go pour her heart to the one they said had shut her womb. It turned out that HE had been waiting all along for her to come to HIM. She was so sure that He had heard her that she went to eat and was no longer sad… Once upon a time, when Hannah tossed and turned, God looked on; while she hissed and sighed, He wondered if she hadn’t heard of HIS power and mercy; while she wept, He marveled that the sons of men are that blind to the powers that created the universe out of nothing. Once upon a time Hannah became pregnant; what? Peninnah cleaned her eyes severally to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. When it came to full term, she was delivered of a male child (Hannah’s Samuel). Once upon a time, Hannah began counting one, two, three, four, five children apart from the one she gave to the LORD. Once upon a time, Hannah died as a fulfilled mother of children, and everyone forgot that she was once a childless broken hearted woman, except that the Bible recorded it for us to see that when we decide to rise miracles begin to happen… I prophecy to you this day that, that situation that looks like a signature and a stamp will be so forgotten that it will be referred to as *“Once upon a time…”* *LET US PRAY:* *Father, I come with boldness to your throne of mercy knowing well that nothing is impossible with you…* *TODAY’S QUOTE:* *“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”- Milton Berle* GOOD MORNING NOISERS.