How Does God Challenge You In Prayer?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles Tags: Bible Lessons on PrayerThe opening lines of 1 Samuel 2 tell us of a man who has two wives. You can expect trouble already! One of them has several children. Her name is Peninnah. The other has no children and her name is Hannah. Her inability to conceive, causes great distress for Hannah. Not only because she feels God is punishing her for some reason but her nemesis Peninnah is constantly berating her for her childlessness.
Hannah is definitely a woman of prayer. Every year, in her annual visit to the temple, she pleads before the Lord to open her womb. She makes a poignant petition that God may “remember” and give her a male child. This prayer is offered in all humility and not out of selfishness. Her husband insists he loves her regardless of her infertility but Hannah wants this child more than anything in the world. However, year after year she remains childless.
Her persistence is rewarded. The Lord respects her faithfulness and grants her request. Hannah keeps her vow and returns the child to the temple to serve the Lord all of his life. This child becomes a great man of faith and is one of the mighty prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures. His name is Samuel.
Hannah’s hymn of praise reminds us of the beautiful of poem of Mary, the mother of our Lord.
Hannah and Mary will sing of the great and mighty works of God. Hannah testifies to a “God who exalts the feeble, the hungry, the barren, the poor and the needy, and who brings low the mighty, and those who count on their riches as a reward” (paraphrase).
The God whom Hannah praises, is concerned with human happiness. He cares about the restoration of human dignity in the lives of the poor and lowly. Jesus repeats this theme in the Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” ……“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:1-11).
These are the great themes of the Bible. God is concerned for those who come to Him in humility and meekness, relying on His goodness and great love to supply their needs.
As in Hannah’s case, our prayers are not always answered on our timetable. However, faith and persistence in prayer will always result in God’s perfect answer for us.
How does God challenge you in prayer?
—Barbara Hyland, guest writer