God Hears Our Prayer Request and Our Worship
The songwriter and gospel singer Andre Crouch, in “My Tribute,” asks the question:
How can I say thanks?
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me.
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude.
All that I am and ever hope to be.
I owe it all to Thee.
The evening devotion at the foot of our grandmother's bed left our eyes opened wide and our imaginations piqued for sweet dreams. Sometimes, we role-played the characters we had just encountered in the text read to us. We especially liked the story of Samuel in the Old Testament Book of 1 Samuel. Then, not so much that we understood the concepts of bigamy, barrenness, or jealousy, but that we would return to Granny’s bedroom pretending that we had heard her voice calling us in the night. My brother and I liked to sleep in Granny’s bed. She was “our Eli,” and we were “Samuels.” We have long passed those years and now accept the teaching that with God, nothing is impossible, as seen in the life of Hannah. Moreover, we were taught to express gratitude to God for our many blessings.
Read 1 Samuel 1
Samuel’s mother, Hannah, is one of many women in the Bible who dealt with many complex adversities, yet she was steadfast in seeking God’s favor, extolling the Lord in her praise and worship. With all that she faced, she determinedly sought to surrender her cares before the Lord. She prayed and waited, and prayed and waited, and prayed and waited on the Lord. Her trust was well founded in God. We, like Hannah, face difficulties and trials of various types in our lives, but do we rely on the faith that has brought us thus far on our spiritual journey or on the promise that the Lord our God goes with us? Do we hold on to the promise that our God will never leave us or forsake us? (Deuteronomy 31:6)
When we seek God’s face in prayer, we are called to be bold in our requests and confident in our expectations. We find Hannah’s prayer to be passionate as she wept bitterly in deep distress, vowing:
“O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” 1 Samuel 1:11
Hannah has vowed to repay God for His favor. If You give me a son, I will return him to your service so that he can live a life of service to You, God.
Eli, the high priest assigned to the Tabernacle, counseled, and consoled Hannah, providing great relief from the emotional distress she had entered the Tabernacle bearing. Eli’s benevolent prayer that God will answer her prayer request satisfies her state of mind. After all, God favors the downtrodden, the lowly, the persecuted, and those who seek his face. Although her circumstances have not yet changed, she has given her life’s burdens over to the One in whom she “trusts and has her very being.” She is confident in her request and in the surety of God’s promises.
In due time, a son is born to Hannah and her husband Elkanah, miraculously but according to the will of God. This miracle birth of Samuel marks the child as special, someone from whom great things will be expected. Is there another miracle birth in close parallel to Samuel’s?
We all go through overwhelming situations that turn our whole existence upside down. Situations that take us to the brink. Situations that call for more than human interventions. In whom do we place our trust? Whom do we call? Who is the One that has promised to carry our burdens? Like Hannah, we must pray through. We must pray intensely. Pray until your connection to God brings peace, relief, and the understanding that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in our times of struggle.
Hannah thanked God for answering prayer:
“...My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
Written by Gregory Harewood
How can I say thanks?
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me.
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude.
All that I am and ever hope to be.
I owe it all to Thee.
The evening devotion at the foot of our grandmother's bed left our eyes opened wide and our imaginations piqued for sweet dreams. Sometimes, we role-played the characters we had just encountered in the text read to us. We especially liked the story of Samuel in the Old Testament Book of 1 Samuel. Then, not so much that we understood the concepts of bigamy, barrenness, or jealousy, but that we would return to Granny’s bedroom pretending that we had heard her voice calling us in the night. My brother and I liked to sleep in Granny’s bed. She was “our Eli,” and we were “Samuels.” We have long passed those years and now accept the teaching that with God, nothing is impossible, as seen in the life of Hannah. Moreover, we were taught to express gratitude to God for our many blessings.
Read 1 Samuel 1
Samuel’s mother, Hannah, is one of many women in the Bible who dealt with many complex adversities, yet she was steadfast in seeking God’s favor, extolling the Lord in her praise and worship. With all that she faced, she determinedly sought to surrender her cares before the Lord. She prayed and waited, and prayed and waited, and prayed and waited on the Lord. Her trust was well founded in God. We, like Hannah, face difficulties and trials of various types in our lives, but do we rely on the faith that has brought us thus far on our spiritual journey or on the promise that the Lord our God goes with us? Do we hold on to the promise that our God will never leave us or forsake us? (Deuteronomy 31:6)
When we seek God’s face in prayer, we are called to be bold in our requests and confident in our expectations. We find Hannah’s prayer to be passionate as she wept bitterly in deep distress, vowing:
“O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” 1 Samuel 1:11
Hannah has vowed to repay God for His favor. If You give me a son, I will return him to your service so that he can live a life of service to You, God.
Eli, the high priest assigned to the Tabernacle, counseled, and consoled Hannah, providing great relief from the emotional distress she had entered the Tabernacle bearing. Eli’s benevolent prayer that God will answer her prayer request satisfies her state of mind. After all, God favors the downtrodden, the lowly, the persecuted, and those who seek his face. Although her circumstances have not yet changed, she has given her life’s burdens over to the One in whom she “trusts and has her very being.” She is confident in her request and in the surety of God’s promises.
In due time, a son is born to Hannah and her husband Elkanah, miraculously but according to the will of God. This miracle birth of Samuel marks the child as special, someone from whom great things will be expected. Is there another miracle birth in close parallel to Samuel’s?
We all go through overwhelming situations that turn our whole existence upside down. Situations that take us to the brink. Situations that call for more than human interventions. In whom do we place our trust? Whom do we call? Who is the One that has promised to carry our burdens? Like Hannah, we must pray through. We must pray intensely. Pray until your connection to God brings peace, relief, and the understanding that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in our times of struggle.
Hannah thanked God for answering prayer:
“...My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
Written by Gregory Harewood
Posted in Mid-Week Devotional
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