Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Asked of Him
Today’s Verse:
For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: ~1 Samuel 1:27
The psalmist said in Psalm 116:1, “I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.” I am thankful that God answers prayer. He answers our daily prayers, our “little” prayers, our “big” prayers, and our “impossible” prayers. Our devotion this morning is about a humanly-impossible situation that was prayed for and that God answered. The basic of praying is in the word “ask.”
We see the sterility.
Hannah had no children and the Lord had shut up her womb. A woman’s greatest joy and accomplishment is when she conceives and brings a newborn life into the world. Hannah could not bear children. She described her condition as her affliction. She finally came to the point in life where she was in sorrow and much sadness. She had no desire to eat and she was grieved in her heart. She was at the end of herself. The greatest praying occurs when we come to the place of emptiness and the end of ourselves.
We see the spirit.
Hannah’s prayer was fervent and intense. She said that she poured out her soul to the Lord. She wept as she prayed. She diligently sought the Lord. Fervency in our praying is a condition for God to answer. Her praying was not half-hearted or feeble. It was filled with purpose and great desire. She prayed in faith. There was complete dependence upon God to do the impossible. Faith praying believes that God is and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. There was importunity in her praying. She “continued praying before the LORD.” She prayed until the Lord gave her the assurance that He would answer her.
We see the specific.
She asked for a man child whom she would give back to the Lord. Most prayers do not get answered because they are not specific. They are generalized, routine, and without direction. Hannah asked for God to do what was humanly impossible: she asked that she would conceive and that the gender would be a boy. Effectual praying must be specific.
We see the sacrifice.
Her prayer would give God complete glory. She prayed for a son whom she would dedicate back to the Lord as a Nazarite. She vowed herself as the handmaid of the Lord for preparing and raising this son to serve the Lord fulltime with his life. Her praying defined the purpose of her life from that time forward. She saw her situation as an opportunity for God to do something great through her for the entire lifetime of her son. God answers prayers that have faith in His power, vision for accomplishment, and an impact for an entire lifetime.
We see the satisfaction.
Four times this chapter refers to Samuel being asked of God. After Eli heard her testimony, he confirmed that God granted her the petition that she asked of Him. When her son was born, she named him Samuel, which means “asked of Him.” She poured herself into this boy’s life, and after he was weaned, she took him to the house of the Lord to dedicate him to the Lord’s service. God blessed Hannah’s faith, and after Samuel’s dedication, God gave her three sons and two daughters. God blesses faith and is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. She asked God to do the impossible in her life. Is there an impossible that God can do through you?
Have a prayer-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Matthew 20-21
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