"...She wept and did not eat...She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD...She made a vow and said, 'O LORD of hosts...if You will...give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life.'"
There are many types of prayers. Some are long; others are short. Some are casual; others are more formal. What Hannah demonstrated was prayer that is deeply serious and intense.
Her situation was desperate: Unable to bear children, she felt like a failure as a wife and a woman. When her husband's other wife, who had children, mocked her, Hannah reacted with strong emotion, weeping so intensely that she couldn't eat. But the real turning point came when she prayed.
Her prayer was without any inhibition. She didn't care how she appeared or what others thought. She poured out her soul, praying with such intensity that "Eli thought she was drunk" (v. 13). She was determined to seek God and get an answer. Demonstrating the seriousness of her prayer, she vowed that if she had a son, he would be dedicated to God.
Hannah received an answer to her prayer. God gave her a son, Samuel, who would become one of the great prophets.
The Bible makes it clear: God honors those who seek Him with urgency-those who knock and keep knocking, who ask and keep asking (Matthew 7:7), who are like the widow who beseeched an "unrighteous judge" until he answered her petitions. As Jesus said, "Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night" (Luke 18:6-7).
Think about the issues in your life. Do you have serious problems or needs? Do you have questions? No matter what you face, don't give up! Get serious with God! Pray with passion. Knock on Heaven's door with a sense of urgency...today!
Her situation was desperate: Unable to bear children, she felt like a failure as a wife and a woman. When her husband's other wife, who had children, mocked her, Hannah reacted with strong emotion, weeping so intensely that she couldn't eat. But the real turning point came when she prayed.
Her prayer was without any inhibition. She didn't care how she appeared or what others thought. She poured out her soul, praying with such intensity that "Eli thought she was drunk" (v. 13). She was determined to seek God and get an answer. Demonstrating the seriousness of her prayer, she vowed that if she had a son, he would be dedicated to God.
Hannah received an answer to her prayer. God gave her a son, Samuel, who would become one of the great prophets.
The Bible makes it clear: God honors those who seek Him with urgency-those who knock and keep knocking, who ask and keep asking (Matthew 7:7), who are like the widow who beseeched an "unrighteous judge" until he answered her petitions. As Jesus said, "Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night" (Luke 18:6-7).
Think about the issues in your life. Do you have serious problems or needs? Do you have questions? No matter what you face, don't give up! Get serious with God! Pray with passion. Knock on Heaven's door with a sense of urgency...today!
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