Learning to Pray
Pt.4 Hannah’s Plea
Intro:
At my house I have this green shelf that is mine. Amy loves order and I live in chaos, so in order to keep the balance in our house I get this little shelf in order to spread chaos! This is also the place where things go that get broken, where things that are missing something go. Sort of like the island for misfit toys, only it has bracelets and various other things that I can’t even recall… it is the place where Amy and the girls put things when they need me to fix it, because it is broken.
Have you ever felt like you were missing something? Like you were broken? Perhaps you felt like you were just not up to snuff, or just not good enough? Maybe people even told you that you were not good enough… that you were lacking in some way? You were the object of ridicule, or the butt of the joke?
Life is hard like that, you feel alone, unwanted, worthless, unloved… like a forgotten toy in the back of the closet, or a green shelf, waiting to be fixed. I think the truth is we have all been lost in the darkness, we have all been uncertain and unsure, we have been broken. So the question is, were do you turn in these dark times? We all know the answer, we are in church after all… we are supposed to turn to God in prayer! However, we all know that isn’t always the case, as the old hymn says:
What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and grief’s to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.
So I guess my real question is what do you turn to when you are felling broken? When you are lost in the darkness? When you feel not good enough? What do you do? Who or what do you turn to?
Stress has become normal, and with stress is its best friend depression, and those two always bring a bag of fun with them. Anxiety, self doubt, pain, illness, and thoughts of suicide. And when people encounter these things they turn to destructive behaviors: alcohol and drug abuse; sex and pornography, and other addictions like gambling, overeating, over indulging etc; they retreat within a fantasy world through books and movies; they hide in their work, pushing themselves until they collapse at night so they don’t have to deal with their problem; they hurt others, especially those who love them most, they push and shove and do everything possible to avoid the problem.
What do you do? Where do you turn? Where do you go?
We have been talking about prayer for a few weeks, about how to pray… let me ask you, have you been praying? Have you tried talking and connecting with God?
A couple of weeks ago I said that we sometimes treat God like he is Santa or that he is our servant, of which he is neither, however I am afraid that in our effort to swing the pendulum back we go too far the opposite direction, and won’t ask God for anything at all!
However Jesus said to ask, to seek, to knock. He said to ask for daily bread, to ask your father in heaven who already knows what you need. To ask.
But the question is, what do we ask for? I knew one guy who believed you should ask God for everything from the big things like world peace to the littlest thing like a parking space... When I was a kid I would prayed for stuff: toys, bikes, a bb gun, going to Disney World… in the past few years I have found myself praying for a flute, a new mattress, and for my van to hold together! Is it wrong to pray for these things? Is it selfish? What can you pray for? A Million dollars? A Lamborghini? A new house for the homeless? A job for the jobless? A baby for the childless? A change of heart? For the salvation of a city? For this cup to pass…
If you have your bibles turn to 1 Samuel 1
1There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 4On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. 6And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?"
I don’t know what Hannah is going through, however I do know that in her culture, for a woman to be childless brought shame upon her. She was looked down upon, she was considered useless. For a woman’s glory came though childbearing, especially having sons! And to compound her problem, her rival, her husband’s second wife, likes to rub in her face that she is without children! I can’t imagine the anguish and shame she feels, at least her husband loves her and treats her very well.
I don’t know what Hannah is going through, but I have had friends who want a child so bad, but are denied. I know people who have tried everything possible to have children and it doesn’t work, the pain of this loss is etched all over their faces… it is a desire that never fully goes away… yet they have siblings that have child after child, friends who have child after child… they feel alone. They feel broken. What do you do? What can you do?
You may or may not know exactly what Hannah is going through, but perhaps you have felt similar feelings, alone, and broken, desperately trying to reach for something that is not there… looking for a way out of a situation; for an end to the pain; looking for a cure; for her to trust you again; for him to understand that you love him; looking for the answers to the problem … What do you do when your heart is broken?
Look at vs. 9
9After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11And she vowed a vow and said, "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."
12As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14And Eli said to her, "How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you." 15But 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.16Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation." 17Then Eli answered, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him." 18And she said, "Let your servant find favor in your eyes." Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
Have you ever felt as if no one ever hears you? This is something I hear from my family at times… I don’t hear them when they are speaking, they could be talking right next to me, and I will not hear them. You may think it is because I might be going deaf… but you would be wrong. I have two things at work against me, one I am a man and my thoughts are consumed with man stuff! And the second, I have a smart phone. I love my iPhone, I can keep up with emails, I can write sermons on it (if I have to), I can keep all my appointments on it, I have a camera and video recorder at all times, my music is with me everywhere I go, I can watch TV shows and movies anywhere there is 3G or wifi, play games, read books, surf the internet, tune my guitar, keep all my contacts, check the weather, and even call people if I want! It is an amazing time we live in… but because of this device I can get… distracted, and not always listen...
Hannah has a deep desire to have a child, to end her misery and to stop the taunting, so she turns to God in prayer and pour her soul out to him. When the Priest Eli sees her, he assumes that she is drunk—which is really a testimony about Eli… She then tells Eli what she is doing, and he blesses her as she leaves. She goes back and eats, and her face no longer looked sad.
I think it is interesting that she never really hears if God listened to her prayers, she has been given no promise like Sarah, yet when she leaves, her whole outlook had changed. What changed her attitude? I am pretty sure this wasn’t the first time she ever prayed for a child, however this time was different, this time she was satisfied. She felt heard.
She was satisfied that she had presented her case before The Lord, she was satisfied that she had poured her whole soul out before God and that she was sincere about her intentions, but mostly she was satisfied that God had heard her.
I don’t know what is burdening your heart, or what deep desires you have, and I am fairly certain that you have prayed about it until you were blue in the face… Hannah was no different, however she came to a point of satisfaction and peace.
I can’t answer the question if your prayers will ever be answered the way you want, Hannah didn’t know either, but I do know that in the pursuit of God, and the act of pouring your soul out before him, brings satisfaction and peace.
Look at vs. 19
19They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.20And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked for him from the Lord."
I want you to be honest: how many of you have ever prayed, dreamed, imagined that God would grant you millions of dollars? Win the lottery? Or something like that? I think we have all day dreamed about it a time or two… and we always have these magnanimous plans that go along with it, because obviously the money isn’t for us, it so we can use it for good, and be a blessing! Obviously!
Will you really keep your word? You know sometimes our deep desires can be in conflict with what God thinks is best for us, however, sometimes not…
Hannah’s deep desire was to have a son, so she made some promises that few would keep, she promised him to the Lord, and as a result God remembered her and she gave birth to a son and his name was Samuel.
Why did God answer her prayer? Was it because she promised him to the Lord? Maybe. Did God just pity her? Perhaps.
However I think the real reason was because this was the right time. God had a plan, and Hannah fit that plan. Israel was in bad shape, their Priest Eli was ineffective as a leader, and his sons were evil. Israel need a new leader, a new judge, and God had Samuel in mind. Think of it as the perfect storm… perhaps God even put it into her heart to pray at the right time? None of that is known, what is known is that Israel need a new judge, Hannah needed a baby and made promises to give him back to the Lord for his purposes, and God acted.
There are times in our lives that we may pray and we see God act, we see him move and do the incredible! Other times we can pray and pray only to hear nothing but silence. I don’t know why this is, I don’t have any real answers, other than God’s ways are not our ways.
I do know this though, God does answer prayers. It just isn’t the way we always like it, not always in the time we would like, and sometimes in a way you would never expect! But that is God, you can’t explain him, you can’t control him, he is not a servant to be ordered about, or is he subject to our will. He is in control, and we are not.
God knows your heart’s desire, he knows what you need. And ya know, sometimes our deep desires can be in conflict with what God thinks is best for us, however, this is not always the case, just keep praying, and trust that God does what is best.
Conclusion:
I love Hannah’s prayer. I love it because it is so human, it is the plea from a broken heart, from a broken person. It is a prayer that I have prayed a thousand times (though not literally), it belongs to everyone who has begged and pleaded with God to hear their pain, their anguish, their heart ache, and asked God to fix it. Fix it please father.
I don’t know for certain if God will fix things the way you want them fixed, but I do know that he is in the fixing business. As Andrew Peterson says, He can make all things new. Whether you are broken, weary, lost, abandoned, it doesn't matter, he makes all things new.
What he wants is for you to turn to him in the dark times. He wants you to come to him with the burdens of your heart, with your pain, your fears, your brokenness, and heartache. When you pray, lay your burdens down before him, and pour your heart before him and allow him to fix it.
