Lips of Prayer
Pastor Dave Monreal, Lead Pastor
“Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, ‘How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.’ But Hannah answered, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD.’”
1 Samuel 1:13-15 ESV
Hannah was a godly woman who longed to have children of her own. She was the wife of Elkanah along with another woman named Peninnah. We know very little of the other woman other than she had children of her own. Her desire was not to have children out of a sense of competition or to win the affection of her husband but rather to glorify God. We can see this through both her prayer and her actions after God answers her request. There are several fascinating truths that are revealed through this narrative of Scripture: Firstly, the Lord is sovereign over the entire situation. We see that this is a story of God’s love for his own and honoring those who honor Him, yet from the onset we read that “Hannah had no children…(because) the Lord had closed her womb.” (1Samuel 1:2, 5) At the deepest level this is a divine mystery why the Lord chose to close Hannah’s womb for her entire life until this point. Often, we try to figure out the reasons why God causes or allows circumstances to come into our lives but often the answers won’t be known this side of heaven. At least, we can see that God closing her womb led Hannah to cry out to the Lord and turn to Him. Secondly, we see her persistence in prayer. Hannah went faithfully with Elkanah when he offered the yearly sacrifice and worshipped the Lord. She was harassed by her husband’s other wife for her lack of children. Undoubtedly, she felt the sense of shame that was common in that culture among married women who could not bear children. Perhaps there was sin in her life. Maybe this is God’s punishment. In her sorrow and hurt she continued to cry out to the Lord in prayer. Thirdly, we see Hannah’s vow to the Lord. This was not a divine bargain but rather a solemn commitment to honor the Lord if He were to be gracious to her. She understood that if God moved in her life to provide for a son it would be sheer expression of His grace. Her response would be to honor God to the fullest degree she possibly could, she would commit this very son that was a gift to her back to the Lord. She didn’t want a son for herself but for God’s glory! This was the prayer that God honored in her life. Finally, we see God’s faithfulness in answering her prayers. Eli the priest saw her fervent prayer and thought that she was drunk! She wasn’t trying to make a display, but she was pouring out her heart to the Lord and she didn’t care if anyone else saw her. What was most important was this supplication. We see that God honors her request and that she has the son she has desired. Here is a precious truth that is often missed. God is sovereign over the entire affair, yet God is pleased to work through prayer to bring about His desired ends. God not only has ordained the ends but the means to accomplish these ends. Hannah’s prayer had great value and it was through that prayer that God chose to move. When Elkanah has relations with his wife Hannah the Bible says that “the Lord remembered her.” (v. 19) Since God is sovereign doesn’t that mean that God would have given her a son even if she hadn’t prayed? I would say no more than God would have given her a son had she not had relations with her husband. In both instances both the means and the ends need to be kept in view. What are the implications for us? Jesus said that “at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.” (Luke 18:1) James, the half-brother of Jesus adds that, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” (James 5:16b) The Bible wants us to see both a high view of God’s sovereignty and to understand that sovereignty does not negate the importance of fervent prayer. Quite the contrary, fervent prayer may be the God ordained means that God uses to accomplish His ends. May we increasingly become people of prayer! |
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