Friday, September 16, 2022

September 16, 2022

I Samuel 1: 11 (NIV)
And she made a vow, saying, “O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life . . .”
We ask [for His blessing] according to His greatness and not according to our worthiness.*
Hannah lived in a society in which childless women were viewed as purposeless. To make matters worse, her husband had another wife who happened to be fertile. Year after year, Hannah had to put up with her rival’s deliberate provocation. Hannah was obsessed with having a child, even though her husband seemed to have been very supportive in spite of her barrenness. Finally, on a pilgrimage to Shiloh, “in bitterness of soul,” we read, “Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.” She made a deal with God: give her a son and she would give the son back to the Lord. This doesn’t strike me as a good deal for Hannah but it’s what she wanted so the Lord delivered (no pun intended).

While I can’t imagine myself in Hannah’s sandals, and I would caution you against negotiating with God, I have to admire her for knowing what she wanted and not being afraid to ask for it. Her bold, specific prayer puts some of my wishy-washy requests to shame. You see, I am often afraid to tell God exactly what I want because . . . I’m afraid I might get it. I know from experience that what I want for myself is not always what’s best for me. I can’t see ahead to the repercussions that might result from having my wishes fulfilled, so my prayers for myself are often vague and cowardly. This reveals something that I hate to admit: apparently, I don’t trust God to keep his promise that he will work for my good in all things (Romans 8: 28).

What about you? Are you reluctant to be bold and specific in your prayers? What prevents you from telling God what you really want? Perhaps all our excuses may be reduced to one glaring reason: we don’t trust God enough. God wants us to present our requests to him (Philippians 4: 6) and to trust him to keep his word. If the peace of God which transcends all understanding is his promise (Philippians 4: 7), why should we expect less than the best in response to our prayers?
God’s plans can be on a greater scale than our worthy, heartfelt prayers.*

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