"I ... have poured out my soul before the LORD."
How can we not learn a lesson from Hannah?
How can we not be moved from, by the depths of emotion and the brokenness of heart that we can almost touch here?
Hannah was deeply yearning for a child of her own, and so she did what we all should do.
She came to the Lord, and poured out her soul to Him.
She cried to Him from the depths of her being...
imploring
pleading
beseeching....
Crying out to the Lord, for the desire of her heart.
It was no use just being sad and moping about it. She did the right thing, and sought the Lord.
It's not wrong to ask the Lord for things.
It's not wrong to ask the Lord to bless us from His great bounty and kindness.
"Ask, and it shall be given you;"
Matthew 7:7
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? "
Matthew 7:11
"Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."
John 16:24
"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. "
John 5:14&15
Time and time again, we see the promise that God will answer prayer.
We need to come, like the importunate widow, and plead over and over again, that the Lord will hear our petition, and answer our cries.
We all have things that give us sorrow of heart.
Things that we long to see fulfilled.
Unsaved loved ones
must come near the top of that list.
We all have them, I am sure.
Parents...
children...
siblings...
friends...
Those who are outside of the fold.
We ought to come, with brokenness of heart, and plead as Hannah did for a child, for their souls to be saved.
We may have family divisions.
Problems in our marriage.
Difficulties with our children.
Do we come before the Lord - into that Holy place, as Hannah did - and weep over these issues, because our hearts are so burdened?
I fear not.
I fear that my heart is not as concerned for these deep issues as it ought to be.
Do I care enough to open my heart like this?
Do I even pray as much as I ought?
We so easily give our time to every other pursuit under the sun, but prayer gets neglected.
Shame.
Deep, and desperate shame upon my heart, that I don't pray as much as I ought.
I need to learn to come before the throne of God, and pour out my heart to Him, as Hannah did. To be concerned and troubled enough in my spirit, that I cannot keep away. To make that time every day, to plead with my heavenly Father.
And, do you see the effect that prayer had upon Hannah?
"So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad."
She immediately felt a peace in her heart, knowing that God had heard her prayer, and was able to answer.
What safer place can we leave our cares and burdens, other than in the hands of a loving Father, who is able to answer our prayers?
May we, like Hannah, come to that Holy Place this day, and seek the Lord for the desires of our hearts.
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