The Faith Of Hannah

Please welcome my Pastor, Don Peters, as he guest blogs on Unto The Least of These with a short, insightful post on earnest prayer called "The Faith of Hannah."

The Faith of Hannah

1.  Focus:   Hannah tried for years to have a child, but couldn't.

     Rather than focusing on her problem by herself, 
     she took it to the Lord.   

"She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly."  
1 Samuel 1:10, NASB

2.  Earnest Prayer:   Our prayers can be quick and shallow,

     but Hannah prayed deeply, from her heart.  

 "... I have poured out my soul before the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:15, NASB
 
 3.   Honor to the Lord:   Hannah vowed that if the Lord gave

     her a child, she would honor Him by dedicating the child

     to Him as a lifelong special servant. 

 "O Lord of hosts, if You will ... not forget your maidservant, but will give Your maid servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life ..." 1 Samuel 1:11, NASB           

 4.  The Benefits of her Faith:   Not only did the Lord give

     Hannah a son, Samuel, who became a faithful priest,

     prophet, judge of Israel, and anointer of kings, but He

     also gave her three more sons and two daughters.

 "There is no one holy like the Lord, indeed, there is

     no one besides You ..."  1 Samuel 2:2, NASB 

*Pastor Don Peters loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart.

He is married to Barb and has two adult children, Bryan and Kelly. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a God who hears and answers our prayers. You know our needs before we speak them; but Thy word tells us to come boldly to Thy throne of grace that we might receive mercy and grace in our time of need. 

You have promised us mercy and grace whenever we come to You, just as You gave to Hannah when she poured out her heart before You. Thy word says that You don't show favoritism; what You did for Hannah You will do for anyone who trusts in You and believes You will help them. 

May You meet every need of each person praying this prayer today; may You fill each heart with rivers of Thy peace and hope; give them the answer to the prayer that they have been praying for so long. May they rejoice in You, like Hannah because You are a faithful God who hears our heart's earnest cries, and who loves us very much, in Jesus' holy name, amen. 

"The Faith of Hannah" © 2015 Rev. Donald Peters All Rights Reserved. Scripture Quotations: NASB Bible Translation © 1995 The Lockman Foundation All Rights Reserved. Pictures via Pinterest; Unto The Least Of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.