Friends, more than anything else in life, Hannah wanted a son. And as the years passed she wrestled with disappointment and despair. ‘In bitterness of soul (Hannah) wept much and prayed to the Lord’(1 Samuel 1:10). However, she did two things that worked – and they will work for you, too.
Instead of turning away from God, she turned to Him. Instead of praying less, she prayed more. She knew that while her husband couldn’t give her a child, God could. She may not have been happy with God’s timing, but she never doubted His goodness. Unfortunately, one of the things we are tempted to do when things fall apart is to avoid God’s presence. That’s a mistake, because He’s the one you need most. Yes, it’s hard to pray when your heart is breaking. But unless you have prayed with a broken heart and a deep sense of your need, you have never really poured out your heart before God, or learned what the Bible truly means by prayer.
She didn’t just think about what she wanted, she also thought about what God wanted’. ‘She made a vow, saying, ‘Lord, Almighty, if you will not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life’. And shortly after that Samuel was conceived. Friends, when you are willing to make a promise to God that He can hold you to (which is what a vow is), you are getting serious about prayer. And that’s when God will get serious about your prayer as well. So, friends, ‘pour out your heart before Him’.
AMEN.
Rev. William Davis